In celebration of Sydney Sprague’s brand new single staircase failure, we sat down with the singer to chat about all things music.
staircase failure, the new song and music video from Sydney Sprague is out today. Sydney has said of the track, “I wanted this song to feel like uncontrollably falling down the stairs. It’s about falling in love so bad that it hurts, and the adrenaline rush that comes along with that. It’s big chaos energy.” The accompanying video shows Sydney grappling on what version of herself to listen to.
The song is taken from her forthcoming album maybe i will see you at the end of the world which is set for release on 26 February 2021, via Rude Records. It will join recently released singles steve, and i refuse to die. The album can be pre-ordered here.
staircase failure wonderfully encapsulates the struggle of being in a relationship that you know isn’t good for you or isn’t going to work out eventually but the rush and fun of it all outweighs the doubts. Sydney’s vocals on the track make it feel like that voice inside your head trying to tell you off but painfully failing, in the most beautiful way.
We spoke to Sydney about her love of music and new single staircase failure. Read the full interview below.
How would you describe your music to someone who’s not heard it before?
I would say it’s kinda like if Avril Lavigne and Phoebe Bridgers had a baby. It’s got 90’s alternative energy but in a modern-indie-singer-songwriter kind of way.
What made you fall in love with music in the first place?
Early 2000’s pop was my first big musical obsession. The first album I ever bought was “…Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears, and it got me hooked on.. well, hooks haha. I love an ear worm, and I feel like that shaped how I go about writing songs. My influences are all over the board and I definitely wouldn’t consider my songs ‘pop’, but it’s in the mix for sure.
How has life been since signing with Rude Records?
It’s been a rollercoaster! A lot of my dreams have come true this year, but I’ve experienced it all from inside my apartment, so it feels pretty surreal. Rude swooped in at just the right time.. releasing my first full-length album on my own during a pandemic was pretty daunting and I wasn’t sure if it would even happen. I’m super lucky to have this team behind me, they’ve been incredible.
What are you looking forward to most when life goes back to normal after lockdowns?
I’m mostly just looking forward to being able to play shows in person again, but I’d love to get back on the road and go absolutely anywhere. The cabin fever is real. Maybe go say hi to the Rude Family in Italy!!
You wrote i refuse to die before any of the nightmare of 2020 was even on the horizon, do you feel its become even more of a battlecry with everything thats happened this year?
Definitely. It’s held me accountable to stay positive. I’ve always been so afraid of some huge disaster happening (hence my apocalypse-themed album lol) that it’s been difficult for me to actually enjoy life in the present. Now that the worst case scenario has actually happened, I feel like have even more reason to appreciate every moment. I’m weirdly much more of an optimist than I was before 2020 started.
Your new song staircase failure, tell us more about the story behind it and what inspired you.
I wrote staircase failure in September 2018. It’s about falling in love with someone and seeing the possible red flags but choosing to ignore them, which is what I was going through at the time. It was fun and exciting but also totally reckless, and the only thing I could compare it to was the adrenaline rush of tumbling down stairs. I wanted this song to feel obsessive and kinda chaotic and rhythmically like the actual sound of falling.
If you could collaborate on a song with any artist alive right now, who would it be and why?
Such a tough call but the first person that came to mind is Hobo Johnson. His songs are so much fun, such an amazing sense of humor. I’m a big fan.
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