Up-and-coming alternative pop musician Sarah Kinsley releases newest EP, ‘Ascension’

Words by: Anna “Monty” Montoya-Gaxiola

Photos by Julia Khoroshilov

Inspired by her young love for classical music, singer-songwriter and producer Sarah Kinsley shares a dreamy story through her latest EP, “Ascension.” Her work as a solo artist has solidified her spot in alt pop music, as her skills within a studio shine clearly through her enchanting vocals and compositions. However, there are obstacles that come with working alone, Kinsley shared in a recent press conference.

“There’s a lot of internal dialogue that happens during self-production,” she said. “It's a lot of trying to understand and to find the confidence to go down a certain route and have the self-awareness to know when something isn't working. There’s a lot of self-doubt that can happen because you never really know what feels good; you're not relying on a room of people to nod in agreement.”

Although self-production comes with many challenges, Kinsley shared how she has grown through this process as well.

“It's very therapeutic to take time away, have an ear cleanse before going back to it,” she continued. “You learn to listen to self-doubt without it being harmful.”

Her music revolves around the intimate feelings of what it’s like to be alive. You may feel deja vu when listening to her newest EP as her music produces the same feeling as listening to Lorde back in the early 2000s. It’s the same feeling of being free, which is presented through an association of pianos and strings. This makes sense considering that both Lorde and Stevie Nicks were included on her mood board when creating “Ascension.”

Kinsley described her music as “wonder and weirdness,” which she defines as “when something is meant to be” and how a song can captivate someone by its “wonder and weirdness.” She enjoys finding bizarre sounds that create a sonic environment, discovering those that have out of the ordinary characteristics to experiment with. Kinsley noted that her singles “Oh No Darling!” and “Black Horse” represents this style.

Kinsley embraces the love that comes with romanticizing the beauty of being alive. Her hit single, “The King,” was followed by a trend of sharing visuals of the simplicity of living. It was through her lyrics that she described her definition of producing music that feels alive. It’s the simple actions of “dancing in the rain” and “feet on the pavement” that allowed her to free her inner child.

Be sure to listen to “Ascension,” which is now streaming on all platforms. Also keep an eye out as Kinsley is going on tour. To Kinsley, the “most ideal setting” for listening to her music is at live shows. Catch her opening for Weyes Blood and Gus Dapperton in these upcoming months, as well as playing at Lollapalooza.