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Beloved folk-pop singer-songwriter Rachael Sage and her longtime band The Sequins have released the animated “Kill The Clock” music video. Appearing on their new album Canopy and excavated from a demo Sage recorded in her teens, “Kill The Clock” is quickly becoming a fan favorite after receiving playlisting love from NPR’s All Songs Considered and combats the oppressive, exhausting feeling of being stuck in a never-ending rat race that can never be sated — the perfect sentiment to take into the holiday season as we slow down to focus on family and the things that really matter. CLICK HERE to watch the animated music video, a chaotic, left-of-center collaboration between two New York polymaths which combines the talents of Fuel Heart Productions’ multimedia artist Carissa Johnson as a director and animator with Sage’s own original paintings.
“‘Kill The Clock’ is a song I rediscovered from a teenage demo my mom found in the basement a couple of years ago,” shares Sage. “While the lyrics are a bit abstract and cryptic compared to how I’ve been writing more recently, I believe I understand the meaning of them more now than I did when I first composed it. It’s about cultural and personal alienation and feeling like everyone and everything around you is geared toward some incomprehensible rat-race, to be more, to own more, to do more… it’s very ’80s greed’ inspired. It reflects on the insanely competitive aspects of the college application process and some of the unfortunate bullying I experienced not only in school but also when I was a ballet student, when body-imagery as well as social status was as much a part of our roller-coaster conservatory dynamics as dancing itself. I chose to include a grown-up version of this song on ‘Canopy’ not only because I thought that The Sequins could bring it to new life, but because it’s essentially about corruption, written from a child’s perspective.”
A balm to all the divisiveness in the world, Canopy is equal parts emotional exhale and invitation to a more compassionate future, tackling themes of acceptance, inclusivity, and safety through songs that feel like a refuge woven from resilience and the irrepressible determination to find light in the darkest places such as stand out tracks “Nexus,” “Live It Up,” “The Best Version,” “Canopy” and “Just Enough.” “Creating safety and inclusivity in times of divisiveness can be a radical and powerful act; it takes courage to stand up for justice and for our fellow human beings,” Sage adds. “Acceptance, inclusivity and safety are big themes on Canopy.”
Bringing our collective humanity back into focus, Canopy is a 14-track project that confidently spans Americana, pop, and neo-folk in a statement of self that is equal parts emotional exhale and invitation to a more compassionate future, as well as a masterclass in radical inclusivity and self-acceptance. Produced by Sage with GRAMMY-nominated engineer Mikhail Pivovarov, Canopy features inspired performances by her longtime beloved bandmates and friends including Kelly Halloran (Goo Goo Dolls), Trina Hamlin (Susan Werner), Ward Williams (Sara Bareilles), and more. “When I recorded the songs with my band The Sequins it really felt like a metaphor; this group of beautiful, brilliant humans have been and continue to be a kind of shelter and safe place for me,” Sage concludes. “We are all very good friends and there’s a solidness and sense of gratitude when we come together that just felt like a kind of antidote in these chaotic times, so I decided to debut our Rachael Sage & The Sequins moniker for the first time with this recording.”
Mixed by Pivovarov and GRAMMY-winning mixer Andy Zulla (Kelly Clarkson, Rod Stewart, Diana Ross), Canopy continues Sage’s ongoing journey of storytelling with the goal of creating a community in which everyone feels safe and embraced for exactly who they are. CLICK HERE to listen to Canopy and CLICK HERE to purchase its orange-colored vinyl edition and a special, limited-edition 40-panel hardcover book CD package which features Sage’s original artwork.
Currently on the last few Under My Canopy Tour performances for this year and gearing up for tonight’s special MPress Records and Bar/None Records Holiday show at New York’s Bowery Electric with Seth Glier, Glenn Morrow’s Cry For Help, Karyn Kuhl & The Gang, James Mastro, and more, Sage recently wrapped a string of holiday dates with The Overtones and has been bringing her incomparable live show and the inclusive musical message of her new album to major cities across North America and the UK. Full routing below. CLICK HERE for tickets.
