Maddy O’Neal Drops Highly-Anticipated, 10-track LP ‘VITAL SIGNS’

After another stacked summer spent showcasing her hypnotic, hybrid DJ/drum pad live show at iconic locations like Red Rocks (as part of the venue’s first-ever all-female lineup for the sold-out REZZROCKS show), Electric Forest, Lightning in a Bottle, and Shambhala, soulful bass maverick Maddy O’Neal is unveiling her latest LP VITAL SIGNS.

“The central theme around VITAL SIGNS is about finding signs of life and learning to navigate personal evolution in a mercurial world. Being alive means experiencing the full spectrum of emotions—the good and the bad—and evolving as you ride the waves. There’s a lot of anxious energy in the world right now, with rapid technological advances and changes in the way we connect. This record is about navigating evolution while staying true to your roots and finding your pulse amidst overstimulation. The concept of ‘evolve or remain’ played a big part in shaping the theme. Sometimes, you have to strip away the noise and just check for your vital signs—learning to breathe through moments of turmoil and recognizing that nothing is permanent. You can’t fight evolution; you just have to make it your own.” – Maddy O’Neal

VITAL SIGNS is centered around themes of personal evolution, and navigating the emotional waves that come with a changing interior and exterior world. The 10-track package puts the self-taught musical polymath’s production prowess on full display: the LP sees her creating her own samples from scratch, playing the drum pad, keyboard, and synthesizers, and collaborating with vocalists and instrumentalists – effectively forging an artistic throughline within a wide swath of soundscapes.

With this new album, she’s pinpointing the root of her artistic identity – her creative pulse – and proliferating it throughout a dynamic tracklist that at once reflects her catchiest, hardest-hitting sensibilities while showcasing her most mature, conceptual songwriting to date.

Listeners got their first taste of VITAL SIGNS with the singles “Locked In,” “Run It Back,” and “Make You Feel” – three songs that deliver a genre-bending experience, blending deep basslines with intricate, melodic beats and a touch of nostalgic old-school vibes.

In collaboration with rapper and frequent GRiZ-collaborator ProbCause, “Locked In” combines old-school dubstep aesthetics with smooth flows from ProbCause, serving as an acute representation of O’Neal’s genre-blending mastery and an apt tone-setter for the worldbuilding of the VITAL SIGNS era.

O’Neal then released the album’s sophomore single “Run It Back”, a collaboration with Three 6 Mafia co-founder DJ Paul and jamtronica keyboardist/producer Jason Leech. A brass-infused trap anthem that melds the virtuosic sensibilities of its three creators, “Run It Back” is a grandiose showcase of trunk-rattling production, shimmering keyboard melodies, and a heavy dose of Memphis hip-hop swagger.

The final album single “Make You Feel” fuses old-school hip-hop beats and futuristic bass production, paying homage to O’Neal’s beginnings as a vinyl crate digger, passionately hunting for that perfect hip-hop sample.

The rest of VITAL SIGNS tracklist showcases O’Neal’s impressive command of crafting captivating soundscapes, seamlessly fusing deep bass and intricate harmonies for cathartic emotional payoff.

The LP is rounded out by the deep, sub-bass-filled “Alive”; the groove-driven, bass-heavy “I Wanna Know” featuring mind-bending bass DJ Xenotype; the dark, hypnotic “Lost” featuring electro-pop duo Cherub and alt-rock artist Niles; the high-energy, funk-infused “Stand Up”; the hip-hop infused “Too Real”; the mesmerizing focus track “Wicked Game” featuring vocalist Lhasa Petik; and the refreshing, introspective closer “Fresh Air.” VITAL SIGNS is out now on all mayor platforms.

Fans can catch O’Neal performing VITAL SIGNS tracks on her newly announced ‘VITAL SIGNS’ tour, which includes standout appearances at Hulaween in Live Oak, FL, Halloween Bass Country in Grand Rapids, MI, and more stops across the country.

‘VITAL SIGNS’ tour dates
10/10/24: AREA15 w/ Wreckno – Las Vegas, NV
10/24/24 – 10/27/24: Hulaween – Live Oak, FL
10/26/24: Halloween Bass Country – Grand Rapids, MI
10/31/24: Lafayette’s Music Room – Memphis, TN
11/1/24: Mississippi Underground Hall – St. Louis, MO
11/2/24: The Office – Nashville, TN
11/8/24: The Wilma – Missoula, MT
11/9/24: The Elm – Bozeman, MT
11/10/24: The Cabooze (Madhaus) – Minneapolis, MN
11/15/24: ZBar – Louisville, KY
11/16/24: The Mousetrap – Indianapolis, IN
12/6/24: Midtown Ballroom – Bend, OR
12/7/24: The Cabin – Park City, UT
12/13/24: Miramar – Milwaukee, WI
12/28/24: Walter Studios – Phoenix, AZ
12/31/24: The Eastern – Atlanta, GA