Little Mystery is the project of soulful NYC singer-songwriter Ivy Meissner. She sublimates elements of folk, ‘60s pop, early R&B, ’70s rock, grunge, and more into a timeless-sounding, commanding musical vision. Her resonant, blues-inflected singing is always at the center of the action, deriving its power from alluring contrasts—smoky and crystalline, inviting and defiant, wry and vulnerable. It is invested with the same warmth and grit as her songwriting, which combines the erudition of Tom Waits and Joni Mitchell and the unrepentant attitude of Bonnie Raitt and Chrissie Hynde. She has been recording and performing original music for most of her life. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Meissner began her cultural education at an early age, absorbing classic rock and Motown before she was a teenager and eventually performing her own songs as part of a duo with her sister. At the turn of her twenties, she began carving out a niche in the NYC indie scene, playing under her own name and broadening her musical horizons through collaboration. Upon meeting Julian Cubillos in the mid-2010s, Meissner found clear kinship in terms of taste and approach—a confidant who encouraged her to follow musical instincts that were outside of the norm. Her debut album, Little Mystery, was out on June 26 on Ruination Records Co.. Little Mystery was tracked at Meissner’s apartment, with a backing band featuring Brooklyn ringers Adam Brisbin (Buck Meek, Cassandra Jenkins, Indigo Sparke) on guitar, Connor Parks (Cafuné) on drums, Ian Davis (Relatives) on bass, and co-producer Julian Cubillos (Julian Cubillos, Alena Spanger) as multi-instrumentalist and arranger.  

What She Says: “This song is about being bullied and belittled by someone you care about. Most of the songs on this album were written pretty close to the time we recorded, but ‘As it Seems’ is an older song of mine and the band breathed such new life into it. I love so much about this recording, but Kalia [Vandever]’s trombone solo and the way Adam [Brisbin, lead guitar] and Ian [Davis, bass] interweave melodically are definitely highlights for me.’”

“Shame is perhaps the most emotionally unguarded and ambitious moment on Little Mystery: it traces the fallout of an early traumatic experience, long kept to myself: ‘They asked me if I was alright/Would I be this angry if I hadn’t lied?’ ‘Like any woman, I was told to hold my pain close/Oh, I made it mine.’ “

“Eye of the Storm deals with collective processing, complacency, and accountability. The arrangement is restrained: sleek but slightly serrated guitars, chugging over a subtle groove, with soulful flourishes recalling Bonnie Raitt’s ‘70s classics. ‘If you burn it down and let it die/It’ll grow back stronger this time/Are we so easily blind?’”

“Burning Blue”, my debut single, is a bittersweet, string-supported ballad. In the chorus, with the guest vocalist and pianist Alena Spanger cascade down from a lingering, fragile top note into elliptical melodic phrases that illustrate the lyrical imagery: ‘I’ll run circles round my mind/Lose myself to keep your eye.’”’

Her Mixtape:

Link Wray – Juke Box Mama

When talking about how we wanted to approach the production of this album, we referenced this Link Wray album a lot. I love the live, loose and jangly feeling.

L’rain – Two Face

This whole record is beautiful but this song in particular I keep on repeat. Taja’s approach to art and music making is ever-inspiring.

 

The Pretenders – My City Was Gone

I discovered the Pretenders on a mixtape of my parents’ when I was maybe seven or eight and I was instantly obsessed. Chrissie Hynde is such a master of being tough, yet completely vulnerable and raw.

Julian Cubillos – Evil

Julian’s vocal delivery and cadence on this performance inspired how I sang  “Shame.” This song takes you on such a journey and I love how his voice is the primary guide that carries you through. 

John Fahey – The Revolt of the Dyke Brigade

This is a record that I come back to often because of the way it grounds me. 

Fiona Apple – Newspaper

Fetch the Bolt Cutters came out around the time when I wrote most of the songs on my record and it was an album I listened to a lot during that period. It had been so long since a new record excited me like this one did – I love the heavy use of percussion and how pissed off and gritty her performance is. 

Nina Simone – To Love Somebody

Nina has been a constant for me over the years. I always feel like she can meet me in my worst moments.

Little Mystery is out now on Ruination Records Co.. Look HERE for more information on Little Mystery.