× Judy Blank's 'Saddies' EP is out now; clubshows coming up

Judy Blank's 'Saddies' EP is out now; clubshows coming up

25-04-2022

‘’Wouldn’t it be nice to do some living before I die?’’ A relevant question, coming from a cheerless feeling we all know way too well these days. We’re all dying for ordinary things to become normal again. A sunny vacation. A chilly drink in a bar on a Saturday night. Feeling hot and sweaty at a punk show. In indie-folk gem ‘Karaoke’ from the brand new EP 'Saddies' Dutch songstress Judy Blank addresses her simple wishes with both apathy and witful sarcasm.

’I was an ever joyful person once’’, Blank explains. ‘’Always down for adventures, catching planes, always excited to meet new people. Playing shows and connecting with audiences all over the planet filled me with drug-like endorphins, night after night. And then, all of a sudden, our world collapsed. Dealing with it definitely took its toll on my mental health; and not just mine. I soon realized it’s pretty hard to be sad in today’s perfectionist society. Thankfully, I was able to work through some of these emotions through songwriting, kind of like I did when I was 16 years old sitting at the piano in my childhood house. It was free therapy then, and it’s free therapy now.’’

Now, ten years later, the quirky singer-songwriter is an established character in the music scene and delivers her poignant songs effortlessly, as well as co-writing songs for other artists, like multi-platinum selling pop sensation Duncan Laurence (Wishes Come True, 2021) and modern day folk hero Jake Etheridge (I Could Be Better, 2021). Despite the gloomy sentiment, she leaves her listeners with a warm feeling on ‘Karaoke’. Reminiscent of a 1950s black and white movie, she captures her listeners with crystal clear vocals, a playful piano accompaniment, 1980s space sounds and haunting harmonies sung by her friend, moody folk magician la loye.

‘’Life is far from perfect. It’s messy and weird. So it’s okay to be sad sometimes. It took me a while to realize those feelings are valid, too. I hope people can find a tiny bit of comfort in these songs, in the same way writing them comforts me.’’ 

‘Karaoke’ is on her new EP, ‘Saddies’, which is out now! In celebration she will have a tour in support of this EP:

30/04: Eindhoven, NL - Wilhelmina
03/05: Utrecht, NL - TivoliVredenburg
09/05: Amsterdam, NL - Bitterzoet
15/05: Haarlem, NL - Slachthuis

Related artist: Judy Blank back