Sarah Rae – “Shadow Girl”
Sarah Rae – “Shadow Girl” – Single Review
Hey…all I’m sayin’ is that I told ya about the radness of Sarah Rae earlier in June this year, back when I got my first impression of her music through her single “Poison Ivy” and a taste of her signature sonic dissonance & penchant for artistic oddities. Hopefully you were paying attention! If you were, you’d know she’s gone on to release another single called “Crimson Rose” since we last checked in on her – and you’d know that this fantastically expressive new single we’ve got here called “Shadow Girl” is an advance cut from her upcoming record Bridge To Neverland, rumored to be coming January 22nd, 2022.
I suppose it can be said that, there are some artists & bands a guy like myself crosses paths with where you know full-well they’ll be on solid ground and thriving for years & years to follow – Sarah Rae instantly struck me as the creative type that’s never gonna stop doing what she loves, nor should she.
Especially not if it’s gonna sound like this does – “Shadow Girl” is a freakin’ killer single that proves and confirms she’s well on her way to getting the best out of herself & her music, already this early on into her career. Lest we forget…which is quite easy to do when you hear her sing and the confidence she applies to the way she approaches her music – this is still Sarah’s debut year! Her first single called “Blueberry Heart” dropped online back at the very start of 2021 – and through a series of releases spread out throughout the year, she’s gone on to quickly refine her sound & tap into her visionary art. There’s just about everything on earth to love about a song like “Shadow Girl” if you ask me…it’s like this amazing combination of like…The Strokes, Stereolab, and early R.E.M. all in one…and of course, through that same very hybrid combination, just like none of them at all as well. Sarah is who she is and she does what she does – there ain’t that many going the route that she’s choosing, and the results have her standing out equally for the impressive uniqueness of her ideas every bit as much as her spellbinding vocals do. I love the distance she puts into how far away she is within the mix and the effect it has on the overall strength in a song like “Shadow Girl.” Very much like The Strokes in that sense not only for the insane degree of catchiness in the music itself, but also for the fact that, you’ll probably notice yourself singing along long, long, before you realize you probably don’t even have the faintest clue as to what any of the heckin’ words even ARE. Call me crazy, but there’s something so absolutely cool about music that can resonate with you in that special way…you feel the kind of songs Sarah writes, and I love that.
She actually reminds me a lot of Tanya Donnelly on “Shadow Girl,” and that’s hallowed ground for me personally…that’s one of the all-time greats in my opinion…so angelic, so bold, so expressive…I love everything about that amazing lady, even if I still ended up being a bigger fan of Belly than I am of her solo stuff, I suppose. Anyhow – you get the point, that’s great company for Sarah to be keeping as far as my ears are concerned, in terms of comparisons. Where you’ll find the Stereolab similarities, is through the neon bounce and radiant spark within the music…like c’mon now y’all…”Shadow Girl” is so blissfully LIVELY and has such a vibrantly enticing electricity running through its length that you can’t help but be just as excited to listen to it as you will be entertained by it. It’s like listening to a painting come to life somehow, right in front of your ears and eyes; it’s a refreshing & addictive energy that Sarah’s rockin’ with, and it makes for a spectacular experience to listen to, straight-up. As far as the early R.E.M. comparison goes, that mainly breaks through towards the end…maybe it’s just my ears what would pick up on it or think it’d be a relevant sound to compare her to, but yeah…something about the finale of this cut from about the 2:15 mark on-forward, really had that extra juice in the tank & revealed that one more twist in the melody to take it all from great, to even greater by the time it was all over. Now go right ahead and you ask me if I’m surprised about ANY of this, and I’ll simply refer ya back to the very first review I wrote about her once again, and point out the fact that I’ve been in her corner from the moment I had the opportunity & privilege to listen to the music she makes. It is artists that have the courage required to do things differently that make the most significant breakthroughs and contributions to art & the world around us – and Sarah Rae is built stronger than steel in that regard.
I will have plenty more to say about her in the upcoming episode of the SBS Podcast on November 20th and be sure to give her new single “Shadow Girl” a spin while I’m tellin’ ya more about all the many things I think she’s got goin’ on with her music. For now, rest assured, I’m fully digging what I hear, 100% – maybe even some bonus points for the meaty bass-lines here. Mind you, the keyboards are outright essential to this tune as well! I guess the point is, Sarah’s capped off her breakout year in 2021 perfectly with “Shadow Girl,” and given us a glimpse into her future ahead in the process. Mark my words folks, she’s just gonna keep on gettin’ better & better & better as time goes on – she’s already a mesmerizing and enchanting artist to listen to, armed with limitless imagination and the will to use it to the fullest…you’re gonna wanna keep Sarah on your radars, and certainly at the top of your playlists.
Pre-order Sarah Rae’s upcoming album Bridge To Neverland at Bandcamp here:
https://sarahraesings.bandcamp.com/album/bridge-to-neverland
Find out more about Sarah Rae from her official pages below!
Official Website: https://www.sarahraesings.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahraesings
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahraesmiles
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/sarahraesings
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6GkVF2S1vCnSr66jQQqYFm
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