In relinquishing the desire to control the world around her, Sarah Marker, who fronts Missoula, MT indie rock outfit Arrowleaf, has forced herself to abandon patterns of frustration and hopelessness triggered by tornadoes of upsetting current events over which she has absolutely no control. Arrowleaf’s forthcoming album, Getting By, focuses simultaneously on Marker’s exhaustion and hopefulness as she recognizes the importance of keeping her frustration from getting the best of her, its songs like post-it notes on a bedroom door reminding the listener that there’s a big difference between giving up and giving in.
Today Glide is excited to premiere the band’s poignant lead single “Nothing to Say,” which presents Marker’s desire to “show up” in the world in ways that she can be proud of. Pitting frustration against optimism with every chord, the song hits with an airy and buoyant groove of acoustic guitar and synth that immediately brings to mind acts like Real Estate and the War on Drugs. Marker’s voice is reminiscent of Neko Case in the way she balances introspective pop and indie rock cool as she reflects on the idea that dedicating so much of your time and attention to your surroundings can make it easy for you to absorb too much, yet give too little to the world around you. With brassy flourishes sprinkled in to keep things interesting, the band – which also features members Jon Filkins, Amanda Ceaser, Brady Schwertfeger, and Jim Frazer-Riach – sculpts something languorously comfortable and imminently sensory. Silky tones tumble into crunchy chords, single bass thrums recede into thick lines, and calm words give way to frustration as Marker asks herself “What are you gonna do about it? What are you gonna say?”
Sarah Marker describes the story and inspiration behind the song:
“This song was born out of a band practice in October 2018. We started jamming at the beginning of practice, and Jim had a riff going, and it built from there. The lyrics poured out of me pretty quickly. 90% of them were written by the end of practice. I had been through a lot of really hard things personally over the last year and a half, and was feeling too wrapped up in my own grief to do anything about current events other than read about them. I started this cycle of being super informed, then getting really overwhelmed, then depressed, then freezing up. I wasn’t calling my family, I was missing birthdays – I was not engaging meaningfully on multiple levels. And with every new event, the cycle would start over. Then I would feel so much guilt for not taking enough action, which just made it worse. The verses are very much swimming in that feeling of defeat. And then the choruses are a wake-up call, both musically and lyrically. Like all of the sudden, you realize you can change directions, or just get out of the water. There’s a brief return to the self-doubt, because second-guessing myself is my m.o. I never know if what I’m doing or saying is enough or right. Progress is messy, and messing up in public is scary. But the messiness is where growth and change happen.”
LISTEN:
For more music and info visit arrowleafmusic.com.
