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Maybe Magic by Ryan Sweezey

Maybe Magic

Ryan Sweezey

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Maybe Magic
by Ryan Sweezey

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Old ideas, new songs, and years of unfinished fragments became a record about effort, uncertainty, and learning what can't be forced. Released October 10, 2025. Featuring “Sleepless Nights,” “Black Widow,” “Superhero,” and “The One Up There.” Full-band recording.

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  1. 1
    Lady Nomad 3:35
    Lady Nomad
    by Ryan Sweezey

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  2. 2
    Controlled Chaos 3:34
    Controlled Chaos
    by Ryan Sweezey

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  3. 3
    The Invisible Girl 3:23
    The Invisible Girl
    by Ryan Sweezey

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  4. 4
    Superhero 3:27
    Superhero
    by Ryan Sweezey

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  5. 5
    Sleepless Nights 3:51
    Sleepless Nights
    by Ryan Sweezey

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  6. 6
    I Honestly Miss You 3:51
    I Honestly Miss You
    by Ryan Sweezey

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  7. 7
    Black Widow 3:21
    Black Widow
    by Ryan Sweezey

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  8. 8
    Miles Away 3:55
    Miles Away
    by Ryan Sweezey

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  9. 9
    The One Up There 3:34
    The One Up There
    by Ryan Sweezey

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  10. 10
    Maybe Magic 3:51
    Maybe Magic
    by Ryan Sweezey

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“Sweezey has refined his songwriting and upped the production game so significantly that his songs sound like they belong in the conversation with his obvious inspirations.”

— Chris Farnsworth, Seven Days

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The Story

By the time I started making Maybe Magic, songwriting had become harder than it used to be.

I wasn't finishing songs as frequently as I once had, and over the years, plenty of promising ideas had been left behind as voice memos, unfinished lyrics, and fragments. At the same time, my standards for my own writing had grown considerably. Instead of waiting around for inspiration, I started deliberately digging through that backlog—sometimes giving myself deadlines just to force a decision. Some ideas were nearly a decade old. Others were brand new.

The process also reflected a change in how I thought about songwriting. Earlier in my career, I often felt that a song needed to stay closely tied to the exact experience that inspired it. By Maybe Magic, I was more comfortable letting songs evolve on their own, changing details, combining moments, and trusting emotional truth even when every detail wasn't literally autobiographical.

I began planning the record with Christopher Hawthorn in 2023. Christopher had moved to Philadelphia since we made Out Searching, so this record took shape differently: planning remotely, recording basic tracks in Vermont, spending a week working together in Philadelphia, and continuing to trade ideas and recordings from a distance afterward. Building on Out Searching and the acoustic covers we had made together since, I also stepped further into the production side as a co-producer. We wanted to preserve the organic character I loved about Out Searching while making something bigger, rawer, and more modern.

“Sleepless Nights” became the first single in March 2025, followed by “Black Widow,” “Superhero,” and “The One Up There.” Maybe Magic arrived on October 10, 2025.

The title comes from the album's closing song: “You can't force the stars to glow, but maybe magic happens on its own.” It captured something I had been learning both in music and in life: there are things worth working toward, even when you can't control exactly how—or whether—they'll happen.

You still do the work. You still hope for something more.

But some things can't be forced.

CREDITS

WRITING

Music and Lyrics by Ryan Sweezey

MUSICIANS

Vocals by Ryan Sweezey

Acoustic Guitar by Ryan Sweezey

Electric Guitar (tracks 5 and 9) by Ryan Sweezey

Electric Guitar (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10) by Colin Lenox

Slide Guitar (track 1) by Christopher Hawthorn

Keyboards by Christopher Hawthorn

Bass by Kyle Saulnier

Drums by Caleb Bronz

Misc Percussion by Christopher Hawthorn

Horns (track 9) by Christopher Hawthorn
 

TECHNICAL

Produced by Christopher Hawthorn

Co-Produced by Jeremy Mendicino and Ryan Sweezey

Engineering by Christopher Hawthorn and Jeremy Mendicino

Mixing by Christopher Hawthorn

Mastered by Alan Douches

Recorded at Lane Gibson Studio (Charlotte, VT) and Christopher Hawthorn Music & Sound (Philadelphia, PA)

Mastered at West West Side Music (New Windsor, NY)

ART

Album and single artwork by Giovanina Bucci (Marigold Art Gallery)

Graphic Design by Catherine Rizos (Chattermarks Art)