Musical angst

Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan is set to release her 10th studio album, Better Broken, this Friday, September 19.

The record will be her first album in nine years and her first collection of original material since Shine On in 2014, following the holiday release Wonderland in 2016.

Sarah has described the project as a response to the turbulence of recent years, saying in a statement that she wrote much of the album while reflecting on the state of the world and the uncertainty people are experiencing.

“A lot of the lyrics on this record came from thinking about the world right now and asking, ‘How do we move through this landscape? How do we keep our heads above water when it feels like so much is falling apart?’,” she added.

“I don’t know if I have any answers, but channelling all that angst and uncertainty into the music has been so cathartic.

“I hope that this record provides people with some relief and release, but in the end I just want them to take whatever they need from it, and make the songs part of their own story.”

The album features contributions from Wendy Melvoin, Matt Chamberlain, Benny Bock and Greg Leisz, as well as Katie Gavin of MUNA on the track Reminds Me. Its release was led by the singles Better Broken, which was issued alongside the album announcement in June, and Gravity, released in August.

The latter has been described by Sarah as one of her most personal songs, written about her relationship with her eldest daughter.

She explained that the song was an attempt to reach out across years of emotional distance and convey unconditional love.

The other tracks on the 11-track album will be The Last to Go, Only Way Out Is Through, One in a Long Line, Only Human, Long Road Home, Rise, Wilderness and If This Is the End....

Recorded primarily in Los Angeles, the album was produced by Tony Berg and Will Maclellan.
Sarah remains best known for her 1997 album Surfacing, which earned her two Grammy Awards and four Juno Awards.