Artist Of The Week #250 - Sydney Sprague
This week’s Artist Of The Week is Phoenix based indie singer-songwriter Sydney Sprague - who has just released her debut album ‘somebody in hell loves you’.
Self-aware with a knowing injection of dark humour, her songs summon the best of 90s alt-rock and classic power-pop without sacrificing a melancholy befitting of the end times. Her music is intimate, vulnerable, confrontational, autobiographical, and strangely uplifting. Her sophomore record, ‘somebody in hell loves you’, is as devilishly saccharine as the title implies, boldly accessible and smart.
Sydney took a moment to talk to us about how the album came together.
Hey there Sydney - how are you? So your album is out now - how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
Hey!! I’m doing good! I’m really excited to finally have it out, it’s been long time coming. I’ve been nervous to see what the response would be, I just really hope people like it!
It is called ‘Somebody In Hell Loves You’ - what is the meaning behind that?
A lot of the record is about toxic relationships and struggling with mental health. The idea of the title came from that, and what it feels like to love or be loved by someone who feels like they are ‘going through hell’. Which also kind of ties into what it feels like to be alive in this post-pandemic purgatory we’re all living in.
Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the creative process you are happy to share with us?
We did a lot of the pre-production and demo-ing at home, but we made the record in Seattle with Andy Park. We did half of the tracking at Litho and the other half at Andy’s home studio.
My favorite part of working with Andy was the way he produces vocals. We had a lot of fun with it, and he had us do a lot of group yelling and improvisational stuff that I’d never really gotten to try before.
What are the key themes and influences on the album?
I wouldn’t say there’s an overall theme to the record, the songs all came from a lot of different places. But in the production process, I was really influenced by touring with The Front Bottoms. I did my first tour ever with them in 2021, and seeing the energy they brought to their shows was really inspiring to me. It made me think a lot more about how the songs sound and feel to play live, and I think that gave the album a different energy.
If the album could be the soundtrack to any film - which one would it be and why?
There’s not a film in particular that comes to mind, but I think it would fit in great on the show Shameless.
Do you have a favorite lyric on the album - if so, which one and why?
I think my favorite lyric on the album is “I pry open my eyes to see the brighter side / I set myself on fire to keep it light” from sketching lessons. It’s about how hard (but important) it is to keep a sense of humor about life.
Now the album is out there - what next?
I’ve got my first headline tour coming up in November/December!! And then it’s back to writing and working on the next thing.
