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It’s easy to get lost in the seductive vision of Sara Kendall. The Massachusetts-born, Brooklyn-based dark-pop songwriter has consistently crafted engaging compositions that inspire on two fronts: The ethereal sounds that glide across a modernized waltz of sonic enlightenment, and a lyrical precision that, sometimes against its own will, connects the heart to reality. We’ve detailed her work quite a bit here on these digital pages since our inception, but today (March 16) she returns with perhaps her most cunning single yet, a phantom play of broken emotions and delayed regret and called “Fantasies”.
The track is Kendall’s first bit of new music in more than a year, and is described as “a sullen and severe look at a knowingly toxic relationship and the indulgences of its consequences.” It also sets the tone for Kendall’s forthcoming EP, Comply, which should satisfy a fan spectrum that ranges from Kate Bush to Charli XCX.
Kendall says Comply is a re-awkening for her as a person and a songwriter, representing a new hunger enflamed by her relocation to New York City. For a songwriter whose haunting compositions are as ambitious as a downtown skyscraper, the environment is a natural fit.
“In the past my writing has gravitated towards victimization and the disparity of suppressing emotion due to fear and uncertainty,” Kendall says. “In Comply, I wanted similar concepts to be portrayed with confidence and empowerment. It’s about standing up for myself instead of wallowing on past events where I have felt wronged or damaged from. The songs are still melancholy and haunting, because the events still are to me. However, I wanted to take those same experiences and reflect upon them with a different lens. Resentment and liberation from it can coincide and exist together in unison. The project is tangible validation for me to know that I am in complete control of my own mindset and have utmost ability to choose how I want to govern my life.”
Identify your “Fantasies,” and all the times you’ve acted against your better judgement, below.