Abby Sage Kills Off a Lingering Memory in "Obstruction"
Photo: cloudyytots
Toronto-born, Los Angeles-based alt-pop darling Abby Sage starts the new year strong with the captivating "Obstruction," a moving single that sees her wrestle with thoughts and memories plaguing her mind as she tries to move on with her life. Produced by the acclaimed MyRiot, the aching track continues to set the stage for Sage's awaited debut album, The Rot, set to release March 1.
Lilting, dreamy guitar riffs and Sage's ethereal vocals lead listeners down a rabbit hole full of lulling sonics and vulnerable lyricism. She croons over the mesmerizing arrangement, unfurling how her uninvited thoughts have filtered into her everyday life, comparing them to the hair stuck in her vacuum and the dust in her living room. In the hypnotic choruses, she chants, "cut it out with a knife," begging to be rid of the intrusion and find the clarity she deserves.
"In 'Obstruction,' I wanted to personify a pestering thought," shares the songstress. "I think it was an important song for me to release a memory I had been holding on to for a while. It's a thought that doesn't leave you no matter how hard you try. It shows up in your living room, in your day-to-day tasks. I wanted to use very literal and realized language to describe the process of getting rid of it, 'cut it out with a knife'… That felt like such a beautiful visual to me, physically cutting out a memory with a sharp knife."
The accompanying music video is an artistic visual that echoes the song's sentiment. The conflicting duality of the push and pull between holding onto a memory or killing it off manifests as a dilapidated papier-mâché head that couples with Sage in various seemingly wholesome scenes, including a field picnic and dance routines in the snow, culminating in her hunting down her companion. She explains, "When I tried to picture what a video for 'Obstruction' would look like, I always imagined the setting of me having dinner with a personified version of the memory, the puppet, and going through those inner monologue motions. We dance, we fight, but ultimately, I kill it off and mourn the memory but finally learn to let it go."
Following the success of her previous singles, "Milk" and "Hunger," Sage's upcoming debut album, The Rot, promises to be a collection of honest, revealing, and deeply personal reflections.
Watch the "Obstruction" video below:
