Singer Sarah Mary Chadwick Says It All on New Album

On the launch of her new album, Me and Ennui Are Friends, Baby, New Zealand-born Melbourne-based singer Sarah Mary Chadwick “interrogates the forensic intimacy and specificity of her songs”. Jenny Valentish interviews Chadwick for The Guardian.

On Guardian Australia’s visit, shortly before the launch of Chadwick’s seventh solo album, Chadwick’s fiancé, Simon, is invited to make himself scarce by taking dog Sylvie for a walk. Chadwick makes a pot of coffee and considers the very specific nature of her lyrics.

“My manager asked me for a few words to describe the first single,” she tells Valentish. “I told her, ‘I’ve literally said everything in that song.’”

This trilogy of albums fossicks through Chadwick’s recent traumas, including losing her father, a close friend, and the breakup of a long-term relationship.

Chadwick was the founding member of Wellington band, Batrider.

Original article by Jenny Valentish, The Guardian, February 4, 2021.

Photo by Aayush Karmacharya.