It’s always lovely to hear from sarah m. and this collection of new tunes they’ve released is as special as ever. Recorded and mixed by another all-time Swell Tone favorite, Jake Detwiler, Highway 9 is an EP filled with sincerity, struggle, and the kind of strength that only comes with time and experience. Sarah m. has always used their music to do exactly the two things used to describe them on a recent show description: “processing and progressing.” Reflecting the EP’s name, this particular collection of songs takes their personal pain through new roads both sonically and lyrically.
All three tracks have a distinct sense of nostalgia pointed to a distant horizon of hope that is currently just out of reach. These songs keep sarah m.’s quiet bass and gentle voice as the focus but added in delicate accents of guitar from Bill Magerr, pedal steel from Peter Gill, and a bit of viola from Matt Fox on “a blue sky over the Sinclair.” Together, it all combined for a warm-toned portrait of poignant moments from sarah m.’s life with soft edges and an open heart.
On “y’don’t spit in the wind,” sarah m. forms disrespect into a desert storm of nightmares and builds into a swirl of guitar that carries away the song’s mantra-like ending line. Much of “it might explain but it’s no excuse” is spent in honest reflection of their identity and moving on from past expectations to something better, even if not yet defined. The sweet harmonies and touch of viola in “a blue sky over the Sinclair” guide the track to the same comforting sense of home that the lyrics seek.
We highly recommend spending 10 minutes of your day with sarah m.’s insightful and tender Highway 9 EP below. You can also listen to more sarah m. here or check out our session with them here.
