Last year, right around this time, Sydney Sprague released her sophomore album somebody in hell loves you. That album was packed with jams, brutally honest lyrically and left quite an impression, it's still in my regular rotation. Now, as said, two years shy of the one-year anniversary, a new version of the album is here. This deluxe adds only ten extra minutes, three new songs and one re-imagined track, but has a lot to offer in terms of quality.
The first of the new songs, "The Cards," comes latest in the track list but was released back in April. As a single I thought this was a fine blues-like about life being a lottery but nothing which blew me away as a song. In context to the record, I think it's elevated quite a bit. This pairs best to the somebody in hell style compared to the other new songs and has a natural lead into "big star go."
The second single, "tell me" hits similar, I was sort of surprised how easily it fit in considering how much I've heard the record in its original format. This choice as the more lead single is interesting as its stylistically different from the older tracks here. It feels more polished, more laid back, Sydney even does some different things lyrically here as well. The Kississippi features plays very well here. Zoe not only sings like a dream alongside Sydney, but she also feels right at home leading this instrumental.
It's four in the morning in your car, looking for something bright in the dark.
It's a five-alarm summer, setting off sparks, taking the heat wave straight to the heart.
The third single, "i tried my best," features Kevin Devine and may be my favorite of the new tracks. There is a certain magic to lyricism less focused on complexity and more so based in the language of the everyday. Sydney excels at both, but rarely treats us with the latter. This is supported by an equally magical instrumental laced with synths and painted like an image of a dream.
I had a fear the world was ending, I never thought I was right.
Slipping down the final backslide like oh fuck.
The last of the additional tracks was a new version of "smiley face" now featuring Pool Kids. I always feel a bit of anxiety when a pre-existing song is re-branded with a feature but this collab did not disappoint. Christine Goodwyne's newly recorded backing vocals add some nice ambiance to Sydney's original verse and the re-record of the song's later section blends right in. Again, immersion is never broken here, we go from "smiley" to "nobody knows anything" just as in the original album.
Somebody in hell was already a near flawless album and when I saw the new tracks were injected in as opposed to all at the end I had some worries. What I found, however was new context to one of the best indie rock records of the decade so far. At only ten extra minutes it feels like a more complete experience, both for pre-existing fans and listeners discovering it this way. Also worth using this record, if you're unfamiliar with them, as a starting point to any of the features here. It feels like a nice payoff to see Sydney collaborate with artists she's toured and hyped up online.
Somebody in hell was my album of the year for 2023, and the debut before it meant a lot to me as well. I saw Sydney in Portland last year and met her for a few minutes. I had a CLIFFDIVER shirt on which I had purchased from their show just weeks before and we gushed over our mutual love of that band. What makes me such a fan of Sydney's music is she's one of the biggest followers and supporters of this scene and community we have, her music has always reflected this. Now, with a new version of her record serving as a spotlight on her friends and peers, the reflection is even clearer.
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