‘Cave’, Rachael Sage’s latest release from album ‘Character’ is a statement based on the theme of authenticity. Hailed by BlackBook as “One of music’s most inimitable iconoclasts.”, Rachael Sage is now in the process of album cycle number 14, via her own label and on her own terms.
The gorgeous visual was art-directed by Sage, directed by long-time collaborator Nick Clark and animated by Daniela P. Solomon, and the clip employs playful animation to bring her handwriting and signature squiggles and eyes to life, as though we are in Sage’s psyche.
The result is a unique video that merges acoustic performance with a truly innovative approach to lyric video-making.
Rachael reveals: “I wrote this song while I was in college, where I fell hard for someone who was definitely not ultimately ‘healthy’ for me. It was a very formative experience and left me with a lingering fear of being manipulated or rejected for who I actually was. When I sing it now, the song reminds me to revere authenticity and honesty in all my relationships – and to fully embrace unconditional love.” The track found its way back to her during her treatment and recovery for endometrial cancer after she rediscovered an old lyric journal and recognised that the song meant much more to her now than it ever did in her teens.
Musically speaking, the track itself is a complex odyssey into the inner workings of Sage’s mind. Like the titular cave, the song itself sounds both mysterious and dark, yet somehow inviting, as the compelling vocal harmony draws us into a lyrical lexicon of intrigue and exploration.
In terms of the track’s inspiration, Rachael Sage explains: “During my recovery, I was also navigating my way out of a very codependent relationship in which I was sacrificing my own health and well-being in an attempt to solve someone else’s problems.”
As a song, ‘Cave’ sees Rachael growing as not only a performer or musician, but as a storyteller, using metaphor and intrigue to convey complex and uncomfortable emotions. As an album, Character tackles some of the most taboo topics in society – bravery and struggle, hope and despair, pain and loss and gratitude. These themes are both personal and universal, explored and navigated during Sage’s recovery period as well as globally, during the pandemic and the fight for the rights of our brothers and sisters.
‘Cave’ is a song which reflects the hardships of the year, and of Rachael’s personal journey, without ever losing sight of the light at the end of the tunnel.
