Using generous amounts of acoustic guitar, piano, Auto-Tune, and breakbeats, the New York artist sadie's new album tells the story of a breakup and a Saturn return. The record is able to achieve an ethereal, forward-pushing production touch without sacrificing a more timeless sense of songcraft. In the VH1 of our dreams, the VH1 that never existed and for sure does not exist right now, it would be in heavy rotation. We hit up the artist and asked her about the record, plug-ins, and her experiences as a coach for a girl’s soccer team, which happened around the same time as this record. Read the interview and listen to Better Angles below.
You’ve described Better Angels as a breakup album. What are some of your favorite breakup albums, and did they inspire you at all when you were making this?
I think the record is definitely a breakup album in part, but it’s also really an album about me on the cusp of turning 30, reassessing what I want in life, and trying to let go of regret and fear. Honestly I can’t really think of a specific breakup album that inspired this record but there are definitely some that are staples for me: Rumors, Vulnicuria, Pang, 808s & Heartbreak, Blue, 13, Exile in Guyville, Tapestry … There are so many. Breaking up is good for music.
How does your classical training as a pianist help and complicate how you make music currently?
I think the discipline of practicing the piano every single day from a very young age built music-making into my daily routine––so I think that has translated into a sense of discipline in terms of sitting down to work on and write music every day. There’s definitely a lot of strings/violins/orchestral elements on the record due to my love of classical music, and the chords from “Red Sky” were actually inspired by a Debussy arabesque I used to play.
Why did you choose “Wash” to open the record?
Sonically I like the way it builds and crescendos, I thought it was an exciting way to open the record, and narratively, it feels like the beginning of my journey of self-discovery. I wrote it during a time I was feeling numb and listless, and I wasn’t happy, and the end of the song feels like a wake-up call. I also liked the first lyrics of the album being “open up your eyes.”
Let’s get technical: What’s a plug-in you can’t live without and why?
Auto-Tune is the obvious answer. There are so many. Soundtoys Echo Boy–I put it on literally everything. Both as a reverb/delay but also as a way to warp samples and get crazy effects. But also … Labs and Omnisphere, wouldn’t be able to live without those either. Stutter edit is also huge for me. It’s how I make a lot of crazy textural transitional sounds and drums.
Favorite Artists in New York currently?
voyeur, Mackeeper, james K, Porches, Rockie Rode, Operelly. There are so many!!!
Favorite sandwiches in New York currently?
Mortadella sandwich from Leo's Slice Shop, Uncle Grandpa from Court Street Grocers, BEC from Peter Pan, turkey sandwich from Rigor Hill, and a rueben from Three Decker.
You’ve done some time coaching a high-school girls soccer team. What lessons have you learned from that experience? Have they changed the way you think about creativity?
That the kids are all right. Watching kids who didn't have skills or confidence in the beginning of the season start to get it, and the fundamentals start to click, you see them suddenly take a newfound pleasure in playing and surprise at their own growth. I've had girls who were really shy and unsure of themselves and I've watched them transform on the field and find a sense of inner confidence. It’s one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. I think the lesson in that is perseverance. Many times the girls who start out shy and lacking in skills are the ones you have to convince that they are capable, because they don't believe it themselves. It's fun to watch that process from the outside and apply it to myself when I feel like something isn’t going right.
Photo Credit: Lily Platt
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