OWL came into existence last summer when Matthew MacDonald made a
few tracks on his computer and convinced girlfriend Vanessa Murnaghan
to write lyrics for them. After an initial bout of nerves, the pair had
a song and sent it around to friends. “They liked it,” says Murnaghan,
“so we just kept making more.”
Murnaghan says it’s sometimes “intimidating” writing with MacDonald,
who plays as one half of The Superfantastics. “Matt is this amazing
songwriter, and I’m just a dweeb who doesn’t know anything about
music,” she says.
OWL’s songs feature a quiet underbelly of synth and threads of
guitar, while Murnaghan’s low, sweet voice sings about friends and
lovers. “Goodbye Bye” is the standout here—MacDonald’s synth hook is
MGMT-catchy, while the lyrics—“I can’t catch it, I can’t catch
it”—are made for singalongs.
The pair will embark on a mini-tour to PEI and New Brunswick this
month and an album is in the works for the fall. Murnaghan says she’s
getting more relaxed all the time. “If I hadn’t started a band with
Matt when we did, I probably never would have,” she says. “He has
encouraged me a lot.”
This article appears in Jun 11-17, 2009.
Matt has some serious licks that bridge his chord play. I saw him at the NXNE 08 in toronto. Ms Murnaghan didnt do much for me but managed to keep a beat for Matt. Great people, great music. i look forward to picking up the new album if i can get my hands on it
this is owl, not the superfantastics, addy.
ms murnaghan is from owl, and she sings. ms d’entremont is of the superfans, and plays drums