Girl Next Door has taken Mac DeMarco’s ‘Let My Baby Stay’, stripped it back, soaked it in melancholic bliss, and wrung out all of the goose-bump-inducing euphoria needed to puncture even the most emotionally unavailable.
Time and time again, we find ourselves staring into the blank void of nothingness while my body becomes little more than a possessed vessel of sound’s murmuration. Entranced and alone, songs like these thrash and writhe silently in the echo chamber of the soul. To fully illuminate the depths of these somber caves is a challenge that artists have undertaken since day dot… And it’s one that Girl Next Door can rise to with ease.
Sarah Carton is a London-based artist whose journey into music arose through work in music production, theatre, and spoken word, including an award-winning solo music and poetry show called ‘Hatch’. Her version of ‘Let My Baby Stay’ was originally produced in her bedroom when she was first learning electronic music production. After posting it on SoundCloud, it garnered traction and gave Sarah the confidence to pursue music seriously.
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Girl Next Door is Sarah’s way of subverting the narrative around women, expressing herself in a way that makes her feel empowered. As she explains,
“When growing up, my first boyfriend’s dad described me as a ‘girl next door’ when I came over and met his family. I didn’t know what it meant at the time, but I felt like I had won his approval. As a teenager and even in my early twenties, I had this desire to fit into that archetype, pleasing the male gaze and not rocking the boat. Now that I’m older, wiser, and reject living my life to suit the desires of men, I look back at my ex’s dad and think what a creep he was. The ‘girl next door’ archetype is expected to be quiet, un-controversial, not have too strong opinions, not too sexy, and only exists in the eyes of men and through the male gaze. Without men ‘girl next door’ wouldn’t even exist, she’s only seen in relation to being ‘next door’ to a man. Now, I’m reclaiming the stereotype and releasing music on my own terms.”
And as to why Mac DeMarco has been given the privilege of this cover? Well, we’ll let Girl Next Door explain…
“Mac DeMarco is one of my favourite artists. I wanted to try to take an acoustic track and re-imagine it with electronic production. When listening to the lyrics of the track it’s actually got a much darker side and is quite eerie, which I didn’t realise when first listening as Mac makes it sound so chilled, romantic and laid back. I wanted to lean into that eeriness and the idea of obsession with someone, fear of losing people we love and addiction to people.”
Are you ready?
This Selfie Session is a beautifully delicate apparition of dread. An audible escape for the lurking thoughts that poison your happiest moments. But listen closely now, because in the doom and gloom of incalculable loss is a spark. Something that stirs within, and warms the spirit.
