Sarah Walk Announces Emancipating New Album + “What Do I Want?” Single
SARAH WALK ANNOUNCES EMANCIPATING SOPHOMORE ALBUM ANOTHER ME(ONE LITTLE INDIAN)RELEASES LEAD SINGLE “WHAT DO I WANT?”
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, who has just announced her stunning sophomore album, Another Me coming out August 28 on One Little Indian Records.
PopMatters premiered lead single “What Do I Want?” out today.
Watch / Share: “What Do I Want?”
Produced by Leo Abrahams (Regina Spektor, Belle and Sebastian, Paul Simon, Pulp, David Byrne, Brian Eno), Another Me 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.
The album starts as it means to go on, taking a swipe at the patriarchy, and delivering a cold hard look at the institutionalized entitlement of men. Indeed, Walk opens with the line: “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.” “We take ownership when we don’t need to or feel guilty when we say no to things. We apologize 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 marginalized, being a woman, learning how to set boundaries without apology and being confident without feeling guilty for it. Learning how to love wholly without expectation.” Walk breaks new ground assuredly on Another Me. “What Do I Want?” showcases her pop sensibilities; moving away from the organic signature piano ballads that characterized her 2017 debut, and leaning into shimmering synth sounds, soaring pop melodies juxtaposed against beautifully restrained moments and detailed percussive arrangements. It finds Walk working through anxiety procrastination and paralyzing indecision. “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.” “I think part of that comes from being a woman; we’ve been conditioned to doubt our capability; afraid of confidence coming off as arrogant. Writing this song was a way of holding myself accountable so I can transcend societal structures and avoid falling into the same patterns of paralyzed 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 marginalization, survival, death, misogyny, vulnerability – all leading towards a reclamation of finding oneself in learning how to take up space. A graduate of Berklee College of Music (alumni including 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.”
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