graphic by wyndham garnett
Sarah Goldstone is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and artist who has performed with bands like Hurray for the Riff Raff and supergroup boygenius. You may have seen her playing keys and singing harmonies or performing on the violin (her part in “Graceland Too” gets me every time). Or, if you’re lucky, perhaps she taught you piano! In Goldstone’s debut album, “Waving,” you can often notice that the core of these songs are Goldstone and her keys. In the album, she reminisces on and honors iterations of one’s self over time, as well as one’s self in relation to others. It was a pleasure to chat with Goldstone shortly after the release of “Waving.” Released on Ruination Records on Dec. 1, 2023, this album explores what it means to know yourself and if that process can ever be complete.
“Waving’s” lead single and first track, “Athens 1975,” begins to explore a theme central to the album: personal evolution. During COVID-19 lockdowns, Goldstone was in her apartment instead of out on tour, waking up in a new city each morning. While at home, she reflected on the “dream (of an) adventurous life” and found herself thinking about her mother’s travels at a similar age. Growing up, Goldstone was told the story of her mom moving to Scotland as a young adult. In order to comply with visa rules, she traveled to Athens, Greece, for a period around 1975 before she could return to Scotland.
Life as a touring musician involves an abundance of adventure, but in the wake of COVID, Goldstone felt her perception of self morphing. When circumstances disrupt your usual life and that disruption alters your self-perception, it’s necessary to mourn that transformation. In the chorus, Goldstone reflects on how life’s unexpected twists change you in ways that are only apparent in the rearview mirror: “Tell me that you still see all the colors in the dead of night, / you don’t need me to hold a light. / Tell me where’s the girl who slept on rooftops all through the night; / if you see her can you say hi?”
The accompanying music video, directed by Sarah Pedinotti, explores light and reflection to visually represent change in identity and perception. The whimsical nature of the music is also played with in the video — we see Goldstone through a clear dish, where her sponge strokes squeak out a synth line, and in a mirror where her lipstick does the talking.
Track two, “I Know My Way Around,” is “the only confident song on the record. Everything else is in some way about feeling confused or divided.” Goldstone’s stacked, soft voice nicely contrasts with the self-assured lyrical content: “I’ve learned too much to be easy to love, / I know my way around. / It’s not enough to be simple to love, / I know my way around.”
Chatting about this chorus, Goldstone shared that the fortitude of these lines is “sort of aspirational in relationships; it’s hard to hold onto that feeling.” Relationships require not only a solid understanding of oneself and one’s needs, but also how to exist in collaboration with another person. This balance can be tough to achieve. Goldstone questioned “What parts of yourself do you tuck away in order to compromise? We’re taught that that’s good — and it is good — but then you’re like, ‘Wait, maybe I’ve done too much tucking.’” Folks, especially those socialized as women, may relate to a feeling of guilt “when you’ve decided that you’re going to do things your way.”
Goldstone also shared some insider knowledge about the Spotify visualizer for track six, “Imaginary Conversations,” which comes from footage for an unreleased video for “I Know My Way Around.” In it, Goldstone can be seen dancing with a mop woman. She does not only dance with her, though, but uses her blonde locks to clean up blue confetti on the floor, symbolizing the tension between self-prioritization and the guilt of devaluing others in the process.
The third track,“Honda Battery,” emerges as a captivating gem, injecting a dose of psychedelic reverie into the sonic tapestry of “Waving.” From the onset, the track pops with a propulsive drum arrangement and guitar part, held together by a hypnotic bass line tucked into the rhythm section. Goldstone’s velvety voice tells us of a strange instance of spiritual connection that caused her to navigate the intricate interplay between past and present selves. Goldstone says she runs more on the cynical side: “I’m not like a crystal guy or anything,” she explained. “I was not walking around expecting to communicate with another life!”
Despite her professed spiritual skepticism, she finds herself drawn into a surreal encounter with a previous incarnation in a Vancouver apartment when she sings “It was calling to me, saying you used to live here.” This experience was undeniable, even to Goldstone. What convinced her was how natural the memory felt, saying “I feel like I know this as if I know any other detail about my life.” The second verse chronicles a dinner party that Goldstone co-hosted after having a bit too much of an edible, while the track title comes from another weird experience. Have you ever had your car battery die four Valentine’s Days in a row? Goldstone has. Amid the swirl of sound of “Honda Battery,” a poignant reflection emerges, elucidating the sentiment that “knowing yourself and listening are two different things.”
Track four, “Love & Loneliness,” delves into the intricate dance between these two seemingly opposing emotions. Goldstone sings, “Every time I see you I’ve got questions, / every time you turn around I sigh.” Yet, amid the uncertainty that accompanies matters of the heart, Goldstone’s introspective lyrics, inspired by a conversation with her friend, Charlie of Hurray for the Riff Raff, are an honest musing. She offers a call to introspection: “It don’t matter anyways, / when you love love / and you love loneliness the same.”
This paradoxical revelation in the lyrics and the connection of the piano with the melody sets a contemplative tone. Midway through the song, the bass introduces lines reminiscent of golden highlights, which add depth and richness to the composition of the image as the bass adds to the song. As Goldstone grapples with the dichotomy of love and loneliness, one can’t help but wonder how touring, with its inherent distance from family and friends, further complicates this. The album cover incorporates a watercolor art piece that was painted by Goldstone’s mom (and that hangs above her bed), perhaps serving as a reminder of the interconnectedness of love and loneliness, and the consistent ebb and flow inherent to the nature of human connections.
The title track of the album, track five, is an intimate inquiry into partnership and domesticity. This song is so personal, in fact, that “Waving” almost did not make it onto the album. Goldstone describes writing in order to process things in real time as “too many lights and colors” and usually writes about things that she has had room to reflect on. With “Waving” being “viscerally tied to a recent feeling,” it required a non-traditional recording process. The basis of what you hear is actually a voice memo of Goldstone playing piano and singing, with bass and drums recorded to it. From a production standpoint, this was a challenge, but, laughing, Goldstone said “turns out you can pay people to mix and master a voice memo!”
“Waving” plunges into the uncomfortable melancholy of “longing for something different or a better version of that actual thing,” a feeling many of us know all too well. The lyrical gems jump out of this stripped-back soundscape: “Fathers always stop waving before mothers do, / and one day you’ll stop waving before I do.”
Remember driving away from your best friend’s house as a kid? At some point, their dad walked inside while their mom would stay waving until the car was out of sight. Goldstone has caught a provocative instance of the emotional labor often performed by women. My question to her — and to everyone — is, what if we were two mothers, and we never stopped waving?
Track six, titled “Imaginary Conversations,” is a chill track decorated with some synth-driven moments. There’s a sweetness in Goldstone’s voice as she sings: “Imaginary conversations, / Are all I have of what I dreamed … of you.” Exploring a relationship that relies on imagination is a mix of introspection and reflection on oneself in relation to another.
“Three Hours” is written about Goldstone’s experience with a bicoastal relationship. Introduced by an elegant piano intro, this song further explores the theme of distance touched on in “Love & Loneliness.” She sings, “Know that, know that, always on my mind, / know when we met, dream it all the time. / Every day, all day, / I take three hours away and say, / that’s what time it is in LA, LA, LA,” following it up with “When it’s so hard leaving you behind, / when it’s so far, leaving you to cry.”
Speaking on the added disconnect that touring causes, Goldstone shared how “It’s awful! It’s a terrible part of this. You don’t RSVP to the wedding in advance because you don’t know. Your friend is going through a hard time? Maybe you’re not going to be around for a month.” The cumulative impact of these sacrificed moments can weigh on touring musicians. As Goldstone explained, it “doesn’t feel good to wonder if you’re a reliable friend or not.”
“Find Your Home,” the eighth and final track on “Waving,” came about in a piecemeal fashion, beginning with a keyboard part that Goldstone couldn’t get out of her head. The track is written about someone she described as an “inveterate people pleaser”: “You grew up in the south, / doubted every word out of your mouth.” The chorus has oscillated in meaning to me since it was released in December, but a strong lyrical position can be seen in any of the interpretations: “You couldn’t find your home / But you could’ve found me.” I’ve found myself repeating the track just to experience the bass and piano instrumentation at the end of the chorus.
Through delving into the nuances of relationships and the ever-changing nature of identity, “Waving” is a mirror reflecting the complexities of the human experience, inviting listeners to find solace and connection in its heartfelt melodies and introspective lyrics. In this way, Goldstone’s debut album not only showcases her exceptional musical talent but also serves as a reminder to connect listeners to who they have been, to know and listen to themselves, and to appreciate the people in their lives who continue to wave until they round the corner.