Working in music can be a joyous trip. There’s almost always an influx of new music making it’s way into your inbox, and while you don’t enjoy it all, sometimes you get little gems along the way. On a personal level, I told myself I would listen to more new music in 2020 and earlier in the year the new Spanish Love Songs record dominated my Spotify for a while, most recently it was the Young Culture record, and now I find myself not being able to take Sydney Sprague out of rotation.
Just last week, Sprague released “i refuse to die” and it immediately became clear that it was going to be something I couldn’t put down. It’s a short two-minute alt/rock song that carries that same fire and creativity of her 90’s pop idols, while she adds in her own hard-hitting lyrics.
Everyone wants to say they emulate the 90’s, you see it day-in and day-out across music. But as an avid 90’s music fan, Sprague nails it in every facet. That’s no more evident than on her new song, “steve,” which, the best comparison I have for you is that it sounds like an Everclear song.
The near-grunge tuned guitars will be the first thing you hear and it pulls you in, while her smooth and calming voice combines for a fresh sound. While the song is a great tune for us to dive into, it didn’t necessarily come at the best point in her life.
“The true story of ‘steve’ is me getting fed up with my whole life and starting over,” explains Sprague on the song. “I was stuck in a dead-endjob, surrounded by toxic friends and a failing relationship, living in an apartment I hated. I wrote this song at my breaking point, when I was finally like, enough, and I cut all of the bad out of my life.”
While “steve” is not set to hit streaming services until tomorrow, you can find our exclusive premiere of the new song below.
Sprague makes music for the end of the world, with “steve” and “i refuse to die” being a great addition to the soundtrack to the seemingly unavoidable imploding of the world. She prides herself on being authentic, and that comes through with her songwriting. With her recent signing to Rude Records, it’s a safe bet that she has no intention on slowing down her release of new music. So keep your eye out for that, you won’t want to miss whatever comes next.
