Sarah Walk Releases New Album, ‘Another Me’ Out Today
Sarah Walk Releases New Album Another Me Out Today
On One Little Independent Records
“Sarah Walk flexes a new sense of empowerment…” – KCRW (NPR)“‘Another Me’ reveals a more melancholic soundscape swelled aroundWalk’s self-reflective and reparative state” – American Songwriter“Walk’s voice is a marvel, rich in tone, ethereal when it needs to be” – PopMatters“Brooding vocal delivery that recalls Feist” – The Sunday Times (Breaking Act)“Blew my mind when I heard it…beautiful andcompelling. One to watch.” – Lauren Laverne, BBC6 Music“…deeply moving and bittersweet…It’s lush and oozes aclassic charm; it’s timeless.” – The Line of Best Fit “…Walk’s phenomenal skills on the keys and powerful vocals” – Wonderland
Photo Credit: Daniel Smith Coleman
“I wanted to make a point early on with this record that there is a lot that women feel and experience outside of what exists in their romantic relationships,” says singer-songwriter Sarah Walk, whose stunning sophomore album is out today on One Little Independent Records.
Her new album Another Me starts as it means to go on, taking a swipe at the patriarchy and a cold hard look at the institutionalised entitlement of men. Walk opens with the lyric: “Nothing’s hurt me more than men that grew up with no consequences, why is it my job to fix this mess? You’re always ready to defend, you hear my concern as anger, and no-one wants an angry woman” on lead single “Unravel”.
Listen / Share: Another Me
Produced by Leo Abrahams (Regina Spektor, Belle and Sebastian, Paul Simon, Pulp, David Byrne, Brian Eno), the record tackles the challenges of being a queer woman head on; “A lot of things had been untapped in my writing until now, many of which deal with burdens that I’ve carried or felt responsible for, which I believe has a lot to do with being a woman and being queer,” says Walk.
“We take ownership when we don’t need to or feel guilty when we say no to things. We apologise when we haven’t done anything wrong. These are all things I have learned and tried to unlearn,” says Sarah. “This is an album about being marginalised, being a woman, learning how to set boundaries without apology and be confident without feeling guilty for it. Learning how to love wholly without expectation.” Album opener “Unravel” documents a difficult lesson in setting boundaries within toxic relationships. “‘Unravel’ is one of the hardest songs I’ve ever had to sing,” she says.
“It was written in the depths of a lot of pain for me. I was trying to learn how to exist without shrinking or apology, and it wasn’t until later that I really understood how important that is because it helps define what you will and will not allow in how you are treated. It sets a precedent that relationships are conditional.” The album undoubtedly treads new ground for Walk, on single “What Do I Want” she showcases her pop sensibilities; moving away from the organic signature piano ballads that characterised her debut, and leaning into shimmering synth sounds, soaring pop melodies juxtaposed against beautifully restrained moments and detailed percussive arrangements.
Walk works through anxiety procrastination and an inability to make decisions on the track. “Sometimes it’s easier to be so overwhelmed by what to do that you don’t do anything until someone else makes a decision for you,” she says. “Writing this song was a way of holding myself accountable so I don’t fall into the same patterns of paralysed anxiety“. The songs that make up Another Me are self-investigative, a journey through a period of immense challenge and transformation. All at once the record examines marginalisation, survival, death, misogyny, vulnerability – all leading towards a reclamation of finding oneself in learning how to take up space.
“Nobody Knows” came about while Walk experimented with a detuned guitar. “It’s about losing faith and feeling complacent, learning how to be comfortable in the unknowing,” she says. Elsewhere, “Flowers Grow” touches on mortality, inspired by the poem ‘White Flowers’ by Mary Oliver and “No Good Way to Say Goodbye” is about the inevitability of losing one’s parents.
Title track “Another Me” is a depiction of Walk’s perception of herself, after much soul searching; “It’s one of my favourite songs on the album. I sing about a better version of myself that I don’t want to let disappear because I am trying to find her; if only I had done so sooner.” A graduate of Berklee College of Music (alumni includes St Vincent, Aimee Mann, Melissa Ethridge among others), Walk grew up in Minneapolis but has spent much of her time living between Los Angeles and London.
She worked on her debut album Little Black Book with Laura Mvula producer Steve Brown. However, Another Me sees her break free of the shackles of expectation, rising to the occasion as a fully formed writer and co-producer, with a courageous message of defiance. “The songs on my first album were a means to survive the immediate, and my songs on this album have been a journey in learning how to take up space and thrive in the long term,” Walk says.
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