VISIONARY SINGER-SONGWRITER SARA SYMS CREATES A JOURNEY IN SOUND AND SPIRIT WITH HER NEW ALBUM, THE DARKEST LIGHT
LISTEN TO THE ALBUM
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On the other side of fear… is love.
Harkening Daniel Lanois inspired washes of sound, where the grit and grind of Lucinda Williams meets the ethereal breath of Lana Del Rey… and the magic of New Orleans.
A sonic journey at the crossroads of darkness and light, fear and love.
Album credits: Produced by Ari Teitel / Engineered by Chris Finney (Esplanade Studios) and Aaron Boudreaux (Neutral Sound Studio) in New Orleans, LA / Mixed by Aaron Boudreaux / Mastered by Dan Millice / All songs written by Sara Syms / © 2022 Sara Syms (ASCAP)
““Gripping, honest music. She raises her voice in the same atmosphere as Margo Timmons of Cowboy Junkies.””
““Sara Syms lyrics, melodies & vocals are passionate, compelling, heartfelt & soul stirring. The result is pure aural beauty.””
ARTIST / ALBUM BIO
Sometimes one illuminating journey leads to another. For the visionary songwriter and performer Sara Syms, her own odyssey of self-discovery ignited the creation of her new album, The Darkest Light. Its 10 songs unreel as a spiritual and emotional travelogue with a brilliantly woven soundtrack that ranges from transporting and textural to deeply rooted.
Syms recorded the album, her first since 2015’s Way Back Home, at New Orleans’ famed Esplanade Studios, supported by an eclectic crew of Crescent City musicians. The Darkest Light’s journey begins with Syms’ warm, airy voice casting a spell over a hypnotic piano figure and the glide of a steel guitar and cello—all inviting the listener to embark on a cosmic sojourn of the heart and spirit.
Overall, the album, produced by Ari Teitel, reflects the diversity of today’s New Orleans sound, which embraces everything from traditional jazz, soul, gospel, and blues to the contemporary, genre-blending work of Lucinda Williams and the ambient soundscapes of Daniel Lanois. Reflecting on The Darkest Light’s songs, which were written over several years, Syms also cites such other influences as Lana Del Rey, Phoebe Bridgers, Bon Iver, Ray LaMontagne, and Agnes Obel.
For Syms, the compositions on The Darkest Light are an echo of her past as well as a step forward. She no longer felt the desire to write for genre—rather than from the heart—and began to find the music business constricting. With a renewed sense of purpose and of self, Syms pushed outside of her comfort zones, recalibrating the sound and focus of her music to create The Darkest Light. Read Full Bio
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ABOUT THE SONGS
The Darkest Light is a battle cry for courage in the most trying of times. A collective struggle through fear, the pandemic, political polarization and catastrophic unknowns. An invitation to sit with ourselves. Experience our “dark night of the soul.” For the darkest parts of us, the ones hiding in the shadows, have the most beautiful teachings to offer us, if we are willing to go there.
Fear and Love in my opinion is the album’s mantra. Our struggle through the pandemic, crippling fear, political polarization and catastrophic unknowns. Sitting in our truth and making a choice. In this moment, do I choose fear or do I choose love?
Where Do I Belong is an existential question we all ask ourselves from time to time. Whether it’s where you live, what you’re doing for work, who your tribe is, or even questioning what you are doing on this crazy planet, it’s an insecurity and vulnerability humans share. We all want to belong.
Unknown Road is about our connection to self discovery. Our connection to the earth. Wherever you go, there you are. We are always searching outside ourselves for what we’ve had all along. We just need to take the time to tune in and connect to our inner compass. It is also a nod to the 4 directions of the medicine wheel in spiritual practices and what each direction represents in our journey back to self. In the end, not all who wander are lost. We all eventually find what our heart is searching for.
The Game is an outlier, a rebel, a “I don’t give AF how I fit in.” It’s special and weird and couldn’t wait to include this older creation of mine in this collection of songs. It also harkens a bit to the political circus we have all witnessed the past 4+ years. “Lying, cheating, all the world is bleeding, hope you have a lovely day!”
Shit wrapped in a bow, signed off with jazz hands.
World We Live In is a question to the universe. A hands up to the sky surrender to the chaos that surrounds us day to day. “I breathe you in, you promise comfort. I let you in. You lie to me without me knowing. Everyday I start again.” Is this the world we’re living in? How did we get here? Where do we go from here? The fate of humanity and our planet lies in our hands.
River of Life is an homage to my mom. A so to speak, second line for her passing. The ebb and flow of love and loss. She passed away when I was 19 and continues to be a guiding light in my life. Music is something we so intimately shared, so I’ll continue to honor her through song.
Shadow Hunters refers to the external and internal shadows in our lives. There are undeniably corrupt and evil individuals in this world and this song is a rally cry to unite in love. No matter how dark, how much fear, how much hate, the light will always win over darkness. The world needs more warriors of love and light.
Good Times Never Last is about grief, longing, sadness, and loss. A conversation with ones higher power asking why. Why have you taken all these loved ones from us? Humanity has experienced so much loss the past few years (pandemic, natural disasters, wars, etc) this song pays tribute to all those we would give anything to spend one more moment with.
Change In The Air was written specifically about our time in lockdown during the pandemic. What is the silver lining of this all? Through all the pain and suffering, so much gold lies in our struggles. “Lost in our minds, we have grown without knowing, finding our way yet the time keeps on showing us love, again and again and again.” At the end of the day, WHAT REALLY MATTERS. And in the darkest hour, there is always hope, growth and change just around the corner.