Abby Sage - 'Obstruction'
For those wishing to start their 2024 by letting go of the last year, Abby Sage’s latest single ‘Obstruction’ may be the perfect soundtrack.
Sage penned ‘Obstruction’ as she looked to find a way to let go of a long-held memory. With its pillowy guitar melody and measured clapped beat throughout, the song has a preoccupied dreamlike quality. Teamed with Sage’s siren-esque vocal, the result is a truly captivating single.
The accompanying music video sees Sage having an eerie dinner party with a puppet in an icy field. The uncomfortable surroundings neatly mirror the feelings of inescapable thoughts explored in the lyrics. While Sage laments the “obstructions” her thoughts are giving her, the song builds quietly beneath her wispy vocal with incrementing layers of strings and harmonies.
In the crux of the video, Sage takes a literal approach to interpreting her blunt lyrics. The music reduces down to soft strings that suddenly take a turn, becoming frantic and taut as Sage deliberates killing the haunting memories for good. Sage readies herself whispering her mantra : “because I’m a good person” as she draws her bow and aims it carefully at the embodiment of her lingering thoughts. Resolved to “cut it out with a knife”, Sage steadies her aim and lets the arrow fly.
Speaking on the song’s inspiration Abby shared, “In ‘Obstruction,’ I wanted to personify a pestering thought. I think it was an important song for me to release a memory I had been holding on to for a while. It’s a thought that doesn’t leave you no matter how hard you try. It shows up in your living room, in your day-to-day tasks. I wanted to use very literal and realized language to describe the process of getting rid of it, ‘cut it out with a knife’… That felt like such a beautiful visual to me, physically cutting out a memory with a sharp knife.”
The video ends with Sage seemingly at peace with her now-dead thoughts. As she literally lies beside them, it's as if she’s overcome the need to hold onto the memories and now she is ready to leave them where they lie. As the song fades away, Sage leaves her listeners with a similar sense of fulfillment and finality, empowering them to begin to move on from what haunts them.
‘Obstruction’ is yet another offering from her upcoming debut album, The Rot, which has been billed to be a collection of deeply personal reflections. If previous releases ‘Milk’, ‘Hunger’ and now, ‘Obstruction’ are anything to go by, the complete work will leave a lasting impression on listeners. It's set for release on March 1st, mark your calendars now.
Words by Ella McLaren
