We Speak Music
Sara Lew releases fragile and powerful new album “Loud” plus new live video for “Echoes”
“An album infused with ethereal guitar lines, soaring vocal passages, and raw, emotive expressions”– WONDERLAND MAGAZINE
A fragile and, at the same time, powerful energy is the overall signature of the new Sara Lew album, which is a result of the meeting between the experiences of her life in recent years and the musical primordial power that characterizes the very special universe of the Danish indie artist.
The album represents Sara Lew’s characteristic style, but at the same time has new delicate threads which move into the atmospheric, where bare acoustic guitar gives way to vocals and lyrics gaining strength in the recognizable scratches that crises and grief leave behind – and which you as the audience intuitively recognize. “LOUD” is Sara’s musical exclamation mark after a period when life simply overshadowed the music in all its raw reality and is about the big themes that characterize the life lived.
She says, “I have found strength and new creative power in my experiences as an adult woman, having struggled through the last few years. The very special vulnerability, combined with almost primal power, I hope people feel in their souls, when they meet LOUD”.
“LOUD” is about encounters with the past and with the unconscious taboos that Sara as an adult woman had to confront because, despite her powerlessness and grief, she insisted on being a role model for her children. And to take care of the love and care, which became her delicate light and strength, in the darkest moments; a light that gained warmth and flared up in a redemptive and playful approach to the creation of the album. “Therefore, the ambition with LOUD is also that I now reach out, despite vulnerability, in the meeting with the audience in the very special community and in the unforgettable magical moments that live concerts contain between the stage and the hall.”, explains Sara.
Born to an English mother and Danish father and raised in Roskilde, Sara Lew is aka Sara Lewis Sørensen is now living in Copenhagen. Sara is an electric guitarist, educated at the rhythmic Music conservatorium in Copenhagen. She has received lessons from a number of jazz musicians in New York, including Ben Monder (David Bowie – Blackstar). Throughout her career, Sara has continuously developed her great talent within jazz and improvisational music, alternative rock and as an indie-folk-rock musician in a large number of constellations and now stands as a strong lead, on both guitar and vocals on “LOUD”.
The album complements 2024’s previous single releases ‘Did you ever notice’, ‘Faces’, ‘Out of Nowhere’ and ‘Shady Light’, which were received with enthusiasm in both the UK and Denmark in media such as Gaffa.dk, Good Because Danish, Side33.dk, Fame Magazine, Amazing Radio, Louder Than War Radio and more. The music is played and arranged by Sara Lew (vocals and guitar), Anders Filipsen (keyboard/synth) and Jeppe Gram (drums). Recorded by and in collaboration with sound and studio technicians Troels Bech Jessen and Casper Nyvang Rask. Produced by Sara Lew, and mixed and co-produced by Nis Bysted (Iceage & Choir of Young Believers), with mastering by Emil Thomsen.
Swiss artist Fanny Alexandra returns with “Black Pearl Summer”, a new single that finds her exploring a more open side of her alternative sound. Released via Now Listen, the track combines coastal imagery with a story about growing through grief, pressure and the experiences that can shape a person over time.
Alexandra notes that the song is relatively summery by her own standards. She has said that her music is usually darker and that she has never been particularly drawn to the typical idea of summer, preferring cold air, jackets and rugged coastlines. That gives the release a clear sense of personality from the outset.
The song centres on Alexandra’s reflections on being 19 and spending years focused on survival rather than fully living. Those experiences are presented through the image of a black pearl, which becomes a way of considering how something worthwhile can emerge from a challenging period.
What makes the track particularly effective is the balance between its subject matter and its musical approach. The production gives the song room to breathe, while Alexandra keeps the focus firmly on the story she is telling. It means the track can be enjoyed as a seasonal release while still offering more to discover in the lyrics.
There is also a clear sense of change in the way Alexandra approaches her younger self. The song is not about returning to that period or trying to erase it. Instead, it considers what can be learned from experiences that once felt overwhelming.
“Black Pearl Summer” therefore offers newcomers a useful introduction to Alexandra’s work. It shows an artist comfortable writing about serious subjects, while also demonstrating a lighter musical side that may not be as familiar to listeners who know her darker material.
It is an interesting glimpse of what Alexandra can do when she lets a little more light into the picture.
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