Millis native's newly released single pays homage to New England shores

MILLIS — When dealing with immense, overwhelming life experiences, songs can be powerful coping mechanisms for listeners, as well as musicians.

An artist who spent her formative years in Millis does just that while reconnecting with her Massachusetts roots in her new single, "Manchester By The Sea," which became available last Friday on all streaming platforms.

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“You’re sitting on a rowboat in the middle of the ocean, lonely, and this is what you hear,” said Maryanna Devlin about the story behind her new track.

Off the first few chords, her wistful, somber voice embraces you with that very same notion.

For Devlin, 35, the song evokes the great loneliness of losing loved ones, and she hopes listeners will connect to that story.

“And whatever they feel alongside that is a bonus, because I hope people can make associations with themselves when they listen to (my) songs,” she said.

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"Manchester By The Sea" was originally written for acoustic guitar for a more “folky” feel, she said, but after working alongside her producer, Chris Kling, it transformed into a hauntingly beautiful indie record.

The beginning lyric actually came to Devlin when meditating.

“Just out of nowhere, I started playing the guitar and I just said ‘I’ve been going up to old Manchester By The Sea since I was very young,’ and it was so random… (but) I went with it,” she said.

This song — and her songwriting as a whole — allows her to process tough losses and things that have happened to her throughout her life.

She also sees this creative process as a “opportunity to take control over those emotions and decide that you’re going to make up a story that goes along with it.”

This is the first of eight tracks on her upcoming debut album, "A Great Many Things" — which will be released on all streaming platforms this September.

From acting to singing

Out of all eight of her music labors of love, Devlin does play favorites: "Manchester By The Sea," "Gary, Indiana" and "Timeline" — which will be released next month.

Devlin has been pursuing music since 2010, just two years after graduating from a theater school in New York City.

Since childhood, she dreamed of being an actress. Back in high school, Devlin was interviewed by the Milford Daily News for founding Millis High School’s drama club and was the club’s director. She graduated in 2006.

Devlin said she did not find guidance or inspiration in the classroom — despite yearning for that mentorship. She often felt misunderstood.

“I had to teach myself everything and bring myself everywhere I am, and I’m proud of that,” she said.

At the beginning of her career, Devlin turned to other artists.

“I took a lot of inspiration from other songwriters… especially Brandi Carlile and Josh Ritter,” she said.

A couple years after acting school, Devlin's roommate showed her Carlile’s music video for "The Story" and it changed her life.

Soon afterward, Devlin borrowed a guitar and started learning chords from a small booklet her mother gave her. Weeks later, her songwriting talent was born.

Acting taught her how to tap into her emotions and transform them into art — and transform them she did.

With acting roles becoming more slim, Devlin pushed herself into the world of music.

In 2012, Devlin wrote and produced her first EP — "Home Now" — on her desktop Mac with a $100 podcasting microphone and GarageBand, a music creation application that came free with her computer.

She kept the track raw, no mixing or mastering, to show that she did not need any help. At the beginning of her career, she craved artistic independence.

“This is why I have done this all by myself up until now and it's probably to my detriment because it’s prevented me from letting people into my music,” Devlin said.

Seeking artistic help

As time passed, she realized she needed help or no one was going to hear her music.

“I had to let them (producers and other musicians) into my life, into my world and that was really hard because … I had to let go, you know?” she said.

In December 2020, Devlin learned to let go as she began working with her producer at Klang Kantine Studios in Germany — her home since 2017.

“I felt like that was the right thing to do … in this world you have to have people in your life backing you up because otherwise you’re never going to make it,” said Devlin. “I feel very good that I did and happy that I expanded myself.”

Alongside producer Kling, she finished "A Great Many Things" almost two years later. However, the journey to the completed album was not always smooth sailing with dealing with the pandemic, her other job working at a preschool, and being pregnant.

“I’m not famous or anything, I don’t have a lot of money for this stuff,” she said. “I was always waiting for my paycheck so I could keep going.”

Besides finances, her pregnancy also made it difficult for her to sing to the best of her ability.

Devlin is now on parental leave from her job at the preschool, taking care of her 5-month-old son, Silas, while she schedules shows to promote her upcoming album.

Having her son has also made the singer consider moving back to her home state.

"Ever since I had him, I want to come back to Massachusetts and I've realized how beautiful it is and how much I miss that part of myself," she said.

Devlin plans to stay in Germany.

She initially made the move for her husband, as it was his home. But, Devlin also said she "needed a change" and always wanted to live in Europe after traveling there in her early 20s.

Devlin will perform at Unicorn Festival 3.0 — an electronic music festival — on Aug. 20 in Nürburg, Germany. Devlin said she is looking to book other shows in the Frankfurt area, but it has been tough with her new baby and Germany’s strict COVID-19 guidelines.

Facing childhood struggles

While Devlin lives in Germany, many of her songs are connected to growing up in Millis and her family history.

“They’re (the songs) are inspired by my family because that’s my life … and I find the mundane things in life very, very endearing,” she said.

However, Devlin’s life was not always “mundane.”

Throughout her life, she dealt with her father’s struggles with addiction and mental illness. When she was 14, Devlin lost her brother, Andrew — one of her “biggest inspirations” in her career.

“He always taught me to be true to yourself. He was also a musician, but didn’t get to pursue it,” Devlin said.

Grief seems to be an underlying theme in Devlin’s work. This emotion not only guided her creatively, but also gave her the opportunity to process her previous trauma.

“It wasn’t always a smooth life … and when I started writing songs I was like ‘Oh my God, all this stuff I needed to figure out is coming out’ — I didn’t even know I had to do that,” she said.

Music has “100% been the way” Devlin has coped and now writes about everyday life occurrences that pop into her head — which listeners will hear in "A Great Many Things."

In the future, Devlin plans to enrich her songwriting and use that skill to write for other musicians.

“I always want to expand,” she said. “(When) I do my next project, I want it to be better than the one before.”

This article originally appeared on The Milford Daily News: Millis songwriter calls us to Manchester-by-the-Sea in her new single