Girl Next Door (a.k.a. Sarah Carton) has today released her EP titled ‘Darling I Saw The Way You Looked At Me Tonight’. A suave mix of club, pop purity, and organized chaos, the diversity and feeling in each song gives everything an individuality while making everything signature on a collective level.
While some of the hooks are not ‘in your face’, the atmosphere set forth is undeniable and gives ‘Darling I Saw The Way You Looked At Me Tonight’ that certain special something that will take you for a ride whether you are a fan of this type of music or not.
About Girl Next Door & ‘Darling I Saw The Way You Looked At Me Tonight’
Capitalising on the momentum built across the EP’s single releases, building an array of supporters across the likes of Radio X, DMY, Reprezent Radio, Notion, Earmilk and Ones To Watch as well a stand out sell out show at Brixton’s Windmill, the full new EP showcases Sarah’s most complete and multifaceted work to day.
Recorded and produced with Erik Miles (acclaimed for his work with Soft Play, Baby Dave, and Kate Nash among others), and mastered by Kevin Tuffy, the new EP dances between moments of EDM influenced experimental-electronics and radiant emotionally driven melodic songwriting. From the minimal electronics and evocative spoken word of ‘If Dance Floors Were Silent’, to the blissful and experimental title track, to the punching beats and catchy melodies of ‘CTRL’, Girl Next Door showcases the full depth and range of her songwriting on the new 5 track release.
The lead single ‘Causeway’ brings a prime example of her songwriting – musically rich with swirling synths, subtle guitar work and deep sub bass, the single also carrying a sense of honest melancholic emotion through it’s heartfelt vocal delivery.
Speaking about the lead single, Sarah explains: “As the final track on an EP which explores hedonism and early adulthood, I wanted it to feel like the morning after a night out, sort of like the EP’s ‘come down’, by layering lots of soothing harmonies and rain sounds. The track’s an expression of how unbearable it can feel when you take space in a relationship. The ‘causeway’ represents breaking down somewhere you know you can’t stay for too long, trapped in the space between together and apart, as a causeway will disappear when the water rises.”
Continuing to talk about the EP, she adds:“‘Darling I Saw The Way You Looked At Me Tonight’ started as a phrase I kept coming back to when writing lyrics and later built the EP around. I found the transition from teenager to ‘adulthood’ a really confusing time and the EP explores that hazy hedonistic few years. The EP has been an outlet for me to delve into ideas around loss of innocence and childlike wonder, as societal expectations of us seem to change overnight. It touches on how we dive into relationships and romance without a rulebook, while craving connection and safety, as we’ve lost the people we grew up around. I found writing this EP a full circle experience as it’s taken me through stages of mourning that forced death of magic, safety and play, to trying to rediscover it within the creation process. When I was producing Froggie and experimenting with new playful recording ideas on tracks, I really let go of previous rules I had set in place for myself around making music. The EP is a reflection and celebration of reconnecting with the soft childlike wonder we once had, while acknowledging and trying to understand the darker moments of growing up and being forced into the ‘real world’.”
The moniker of acclaimed singer, songwriter, and producer Sarah Carton, Girl Next Door represents a musical rebirth for Sarah, a renaming which is her way of subverting the narrative around feminine archetypes, and releasing music and expressing herself in a way that makes her feel empowered. “I’m not going to try to please men, or fit into the man-made box that is the music industry”.
Having already been championed by the likes of Dork, Notion, The Line Of Best Fit, Atwood Magazine, Clout, When the Horn Blows, Selector Radio and BBC Introducing, Girl Next Door has already landed heavy support across Spotify and Apple Music editorial playlists, racking up over 2 million streams on Spotify alone. Girl Next Door names FKA Twigs, Kate Nash, Kaeto, Caroline Polachek and The Streets as some of her biggest musical inspirations, drawing from her combined influences to create a strikingly unique sound which spans experimental elements and accessible melodies.
Originally from Bishop’s Stortford and now based in London, Girl Next Door’s journey to music came from an array of work in music production, theatre and spoken-word, including an award-winning solo music and poetry show ‘Hatch’. Following the show and an artist residency at the Roundhouse in Camden, Girl Next Door began making music in her bedroom and releasing to much acclaim. Last year saw Sarah reach new heights with support from the likes of Jamz Supernova, who referred to Sarah as “the child of Kate Nash” on Selector Radio. Having packed-out shows across London including at Paper Dress Vintage and Windmill Sarah has also done work as a featuring vocalist, appearing on Australian house duo Ekko & Sidetrack’s debut album.
Featured image by Matilda Hill-Jenkins.
LINKS:
https://www.instagram.com/g.n.d_____/
https://twitter.com/gnd_____
https://www.facebook.com/grlnxtdoormusic
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2GcwnRAvAnt22dhoXTJidP
https://soundcloud.com/girl-next-door-music
https://www.tiktok.com/@grl_nxt_door_