Singled Out: Sara Melson's Your Sweet Love

LA-based songstress Sara Melson just released her new psychedelic indie-folk single "Your Sweet Love" and to celebrate we asked her to tell us about the track. Here is the story:

I love doing creatively interpreted versions of songs by other artists that mean a lot to me. This one is a cover of an old song by Lee Hazlewood, who I think is one of the most under-appreciated songwriters whose work deserves a wider audience.

This song pierces my heart, and while I was recording it, I was going through a tough time emotionally, so you might hear that in my voice. The song is about loneliness, which I can relate to on a deep level. What I love about it is that it's bittersweet, because it's simultaneously sad and melancholy, but also hopeful and uplifting. The chorus offers the reassurance of someone being there for you, despite the feeling of being alone.

I feel like the line "your sweet love" can be interpreted to mean the love of a romantic partner, a platonic friend, a family member, or even divine love, if you believe in God or a higher power, a healing force that is like a blanket you can wrap around yourself. It's about love - in its purest form - that you can always rely on, as a constant source of comfort, amidst the noise. I hope that this message can act as a salve to souls who hear it.

Matt Orenstein, who produced the track with me, is a joy to create with. He's a serious record collector, so we listened to a lot of vinyl to get inspiration for direction, in terms of where to take the production. Because of the circular, repetitive chord pattern, I wanted the track to feel hypnotic, like a fever dream. Matt is a multi-instrumentalist who plays everything really well, and his main instrument since early childhood is bass. His understanding of rhythm and percussion informs his drum arrangements. I love how driving it feels, and the floaty guitar parts and faint, delicate tinkling keys on top sort of dance in and around the beats of the drum pattern. Matt does a lot of soundtracks as a composer, which you can hear in this. It really takes you into a dream state, like into a different realm.

For the vocals, parts of this song hit the higher end of my vocal range, and I had originally considered taking it down a step or two so that it would be comfortable to sing. Matt persuaded me to do it in the original key and to go for the high parts, which made for a vulnerable delivery, because my voice is just naturally more wispy up there - which ended up working for the lyrics and the song. I feel like I've evolved a lot as a singer over the years. I treasure the influences that shaped me, and yet I'm really gratified to have found my own unique voice. I no longer need to do much of anything other than tell the story of the song. Singing this one felt like peeling away layers of heavy clothes to get to the core naked essence of skin. Just simple, pure, raw and unadorned.

I want this song to soothe. That's my mission with all of the music that I make. My new record is called Elixir, for this reason. I want it to feel like a healing potion that enters every cell of the body and spirit, and cleanses from the inside out. The album comes out later this year. Your Sweet Love will be on it. I'm so excited about it.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more here

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