Sydney Sprague Teams Up With Kevin Devine For the Comforting "i tried my best"


Ahead of the release of the deluxe edition of somebody in hell loves you, Sydney Sprague has teamed up with Kevin Devine of Kevin Devine & The Goddamn Band to release the latest single from the forthcoming album, "i tried my best." Alongside grooving rock guitar riffs and moody production, the two vocalists harmonize as they sing of life's worries and anxieties with a stunning vulnerability.

The single opens with Sprague's gentle vocals backed by summery and soft, intricate guitar riffs. She admits her fear of the world ending but never thought it would happen, realizing that she may have taken life for granted as poppy percussion, thrumming bass lines, and surfy synths kick in. Despite the spiral of intrusive thoughts, she comes to a comforting conclusion in the chorus, "Nobody cares what's in your head / Grab at the string, pull at the end / Doing the best that I can." Devine's presence in the second verse perfectly complements the track with his signature raspy vocals and dynamic delivery.

"I was fully floored by 'i tried my best' when Sydney & company sent it over," Devine says on the collaboration. "The strength and specificity of the songwriting, the stellar arrangement and performance choices, the way the woozy, off-kilter sonic template is in close conversation with the destabilization captured in the vivid, evocative lyrics, which manage to balance the danger of getting lost in your own inner maze with a sharp sense of gallows humor about the inevitability of doing exactly that when the world at large is even scarier and more incomprehensible. I'm flattered to take a fractional part in helping it come to life and was grateful to be invited to the fucked-up party."

"Having Kevin Devine on this song is seriously such an honor," adds Sydney. "It feels very poetic to me because this song came from a place of uncertainty if my music would ever be heard or if there was even a point to making music at all, but now because of it I got to work with one of my favorite artists. I used to rent Kevin's CDs from the library in high school and college and listen to them on repeat in my car, and now I get to hear him sing words I wrote. I'll just never get over it! I love the way he sounds on it, it turned out to be my favorite song on the record."

"i tried my best" follows the release of "tell me" featuring Kississippi, released last month upon the announcement of the deluxe edition of somebody in hell loves you, out September 13, which will feature four new songs and guest appearances from the aforementioned Kississippi, Kevin Devine, and Pool Kids. Sydney Sprague is currently on tour with Super American and summerbruise. In January 2025, she hits the road supporting Michigander.

Listen to "I Tried My Best" below:

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