released September 24, 2020
Written by Jocelyn Mackenzie
Arrangement by Sam McCormally
Produced by Jocelyn Mackenzie and Sam McCormally
Vocals by Jocelyn Mackenzie
Backup vocals by Syd Caldera, Barrie Lobo McLain, Jo Lampert, and C.K. Sanders
Beats by Sam McCormally
Violin by Ludovica Burtone
Violin by Delaney Stöckli
Viola by Jonathan Echevarria
Cello by Emily Hope Price
Mixed by Nadim Issa at Let 'Em In Music
Mastered by Jett Galindo at The Bakery
Illustration by Monique Smith


Jocelyn Mackenzie – formerly of the critically acclaimed indie-folk trio Pearl and The Beard – has announced her debut solo album PUSH, due out early next year via Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records. A beautiful collection of songs about healing through radical self-love, PUSH was written entirely for string quartet and co-created with an all-star lineup of arrangers, engineers, and vocalists, including composers Sam McCormally (Fellow Creatures, Igual Que Tú), Emily Hope Price (Pearl and the Beard, Jenny Lewis), Franz Nicolay (The Hold Steady, World Inferno Friendship Society), Adam Schatz (Landlady, Sylvan Esso), Emmy-nominated vocal engineer Dan Brennan (Sorry to Bother You), vocalist Jo Lampert (TuNe-YaRdS, David Byrne’s Joan of Arc), and many more.

"I wrote BETTER over five years ago in a wave of genuine gratitude for the unconditional love I was receiving from a friend during a really rough time. I had no idea how accurate and necessary its message would become. Sam McCormally’s beats and string arrangements really took BETTER to the next level, far greater than what I could have made on my own, and transformed it into this incredible pop anthem of finding and using our power. When quarantine hit and I had the idea for the music video, I knew I needed to invite as many people as possible to connect on this project. We were all going through this new and scary time, and it seemed like a way to bring people together in a creative way that would hopefully offer everyone a boost to keep going. On my end, I was determined only to use whatever materials I already had in my house... firstly of course because we were encouraged to stay home, but also as a gentle creative stand against the capitalist idea that we need money to make a difference. We don't. We each have the power to make the world better in our own unique way, and it was amazing to see how joyfully everyone came together to once again make something far greater than what I could have made on my own. With zero money and just a little bit of effort from each of us, we were able to co-create something really joyful, powerful, personal, and moving." – Jocelyn Mackenzie