Sarah Kinsley on Escaper
Sarah Kinsley, a singer-songwriter from New York, announced her debut studio album Escaper earlier this year. Kinsley grew to fame first with her viral track “Over + Under” and subsequently shot into the limelight with her worldwide sensation “The King.” Following a whirlwind of chatter, Kinsley kept to her roots and continued creating. Working as both a producer and performer, she released two more EPs in the years following: Cypress and Ascension, and she has now finished her debut album.
Kinsley kicked off her album roll out with lead single “Last Time We Never Met.” The track is an upbeat, slightly passive-aggressive track about the reality of a breakup. It speaks of the dichotomy between wanting the best for the person leaving your life, yet not wanting to expose yourself to them in any emotional capacity in the future. Kinsley masterfully portrays this back-and-forth feeling through her expressive, fluctuating vocals. The constant variability in her vocal performance feels like the uncertainty of the breakup she’s illustrating.
In total contrast to the lead single, Kinsley followed up album and tour announcements with the release of her second single “Starling.” A track focused on the honest, grounding, and pure nature of platonic love. When speaking of the track, Kinsley noted that the sonic landscape of the song was always clear. It was meant to be a waltz, and it was meant to feel “tender and intimate.” As a song about friendship, a style so typically romantic may seem like an odd choice, but Kinsley explained that she feels that “platonic love is one of the most sustaining and beautiful things.” With this context, the choice to portray friendship through these notes of love and intimacy feel very vulnerable and genuine.
The album Escaper as a whole, however, is not this intimate ode to love. Escaper, as Kinsley aptly put it, is an “album about escape;” it is a project created during grief, and it speaks to “the people we become as we try to escape.” Kinsley also noted that, during the creation of this album, thoughts of her fans were at the forefront, as the translation of the project to live performances was of top importance. Kinsley’s experience and love of classical music come through in this record and her sound as a whole. She likes to play with musicality and loves to integrate classical instrumentals, so we get some fantastic string builds that will certainly get people dancing.
In its entirety, Kinlsey’s debut album has been a highly-anticipated release. With emotional, exciting singles, moving instrumentals, and vulnerable lyricism, Kinsley has far exceeded expectations for this release cycle. It’s impossible not to enjoy the pre-album tracks, and the album is no different. With co-producing credits from John Congleton, the album is just about perfection. Kinsley’s artistic vision and a world-class producer have come together to produce a much-needed, smash-hit project.
Escaper is out now. Listen to Kinsley’s debut album here.