Ready, Sable
Sable’s debut release ‘Maggie’ has my head spinning. As the first single to be released from her upcoming EP ‘Kitchen Sink’, this track has announced Sable as an artist of substantial ability. A multi-talented musician, the Manchester-born artist (now having escaped to Berlin) has quickly demonstrated an ear for creativity, and established herself to be a force to be reckoned with as a producer, vocalist and songwriter.
Reminiscent of artists like BANKS and Beth Gibbons, Sable produces soft and sweet vocals that showcases a lyrical vulnerability, but one juxtaposed against the music’s gorgeously dark ambiance. It builds a tension. An expectation drawn out across tantalising passages, that is then emphatically released through its catchy chorus segment. These sections exhibit punchy and repetitive clips of intriguing electronic sounds, drawing on Sable’s honest depiction of the automated, anti-social and hyper-corporate world in which we live. It's an anthem of disillusionment, recognisable for all the twenty-somethings that suddenly find themselves stranded in a world of soulless graduate monotony.
It's refreshing to see Sable intertwine so much female talent within the creation of ‘Maggie’. Jane Arnison’s incredible skill in mixing has magnified the song’s emotional intentions, giving character to the quirky and unusual sounds produced, making them that much more satisfying. The choreography in the music video, expertly crafted by Ellie Begley, is a cinematic wonder and a joy to watch. Music videos can so often feel like a marketing ploy to reach a wider audience, without much substance, but this video is a work of art, perfectly encapsulating the message of ‘Maggie’.
The songwriting and arrangement is so impressively coherent for a first release. Constantly engaging, 'Maggie' offers a compelling exploration of the lines that divide connection and loneliness.
Written during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Sable discusses our changing relationship with friends and family, as well as a learned detachment from our own real emotions as a survival technique:
"The painted face of happiness is better than
Being by yourself"
The imagery these lyrics manage to create are beautifully poetic. With great maturity, Sable successfully represents a universally identifiable feeling:
"Keep your best friends always on your mind
Cause in times like these, we need somewhere to hide"
To be able to craft such a hard-hitting song with relatively few lyrics, is an impressive feat on its own, but the fact that 'Maggie' manages to depict a whole array of well-realised feelings is incredible. ‘Maggie’ feels like a song that needed to be written and what's more, it's a song we all need to hear. It is a really promising first step for an emerging artist, and we at SMPM cannot wait to listen to whatever comes next.
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Sable: Instagram / Spotify / Soundcloud
Olive Annalise is a music production student from Bristol whose interests include poetry, sound design and film. In her spare time, she indulges in wine mom humour and enjoys telling people she can speak French, although her Duolingo owl would disagree.
Thanks for reading! Slow Motion Panic Masters is a music, arts and culture website created and edited by Ben Wheadon, a literature student and musician based at the University of Oxford. He is also a Fleet Foxes shill.
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