Denver’s Edison, fronted by out lesbian Sarah Slaton, has spent the last three years on tour, playing over 300 shows and sharing a stage with the likes of Iron & Wine.
Known for layered harmonies, tribal drumming and mandolin, in their 140,000 miles on the road, they’ve had time and creative space to develop their sound. Their upcoming EP, Lion’s Heart, showcases their mix of simple but expressive lyrics and pop-folk driven guitar.
We spoke with Slaton to learn more about Edison’s new tracks.
AfterEllen: What inspired “Sideways?”
Sarah Slaton: “The song is about being intimate with someone you really care about for the first time. The video tries to reflect the mood of the song through dance, visuals, and a bit of lesbian romance. When writing the song I pulled from a place of anticipation and wanting to take your time showing somebody how much you care for them.”
With permission of Edison
AE: Can you tell me a little more about your songwriting process?
SS: The process can fluctuate a bit depending on the song. For this EP we were fortunate to partner with The Music District in Colorado which allowed us to live and write for 10 days for an artist residency. We had an incredible rehearsal room designated to us and we spent hours creating new sounds and pushing the boundaries as much as we could sonically. Our first album, “Familiar Spirit” (Rhyme & Reason Records) paid tribute to our folk/Americana roots and for this EP we wanted to have some fun and get a bit more rowdy. Lyrically this album covers a spectrum of experience from one night stands to falling in love, and having a hard time moving on when it’s gone.
AE: Who are some other artists that inspire your sound? What’s on your turntable or in your playlist right now?
SS: We each pull inspiration from a wide variety, but some bands that got us into initially playing music are Fleetwood Mac, Counting Crows, Kaki King, and City and Colour. We have a Spotify Playlist of songs that helped inspire this album and we’re into right now. You can stream it HERE
AE: Do you have a routine or process that you go through when you are writing?
SS: A majority of the time songs that end up sticking and being used are ones that come out in a stream of consciousness. We’ll find a groove all together and build off the melody. Sometimes I will come up with the foundation of a song using just my acoustic guitar and working on melody before coming to the band. The title track for this EP, “Lion’s Heart”, came out in under an hour when I was sitting alone in my room reflecting on a particular story in my life and how tough it can be to move on and let something go to the past. The band brought it to life once we worked on it together and now it’s got a huge sound on the record.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/jRO903x1tps You can stream the whole record here before it’s released Friday!
