Sal Paradise - "Voice Memos" | Premiere

I've always believed there is something in the water at Hamline University since so many fantastic acts have come out of that school. One of those bands, the sensual and melancholy Sal Paradise is letting us premiere their follow up to 2019's Table for Two the single, "Voice Memos."

There are a lot of thoughts and feelings left unsaid and circling the mind following a breakup. "Voice Memos" feels like talking to that ghost of a former relationship, like a final voicemail checking on the person who is in as much pain as you are. Co-written by band leader Samuel Ketcham and Kate Malanaphy, "Voice Memos" is the band's departure from their previous "jazzy by not jazz" songs. Ketcham told Ear Coffee, "'Voice Memos' sounded like such a song-song (front to back, clear form, etc.) and that’s kinda where we’re leaning now. Rock baby. We got to work with some really talented friends like Kate Malanaphy who I brought the song to, almost finished and added the final harmonies/last-verse lyrics making it into more of a reflective-duet." While Malanaphy and Ketcham don't trade verses or lyrical phrases in a typical duet, the pair sing together in a form of mutual understanding. Sal Paradise's music has always felt like the sonic equivalent of a velour jacket with its lush keys and velvety vocals. Their jazzy quality may be downplayed, but the band's soft, subtle soul remains prominent with this absolute gem. 



The band also worked with filmmaker Robin Singh for the music video. The video is a work of art in itself. Each scene feels like a near miss, a negative image that doesn't quite reflect its partner. Ketcham went onto say, "The duet leads into the video with Robin, whom I had met this past summer as he was getting off the Juniper Douglas bus in St. Paul. We decided two things, 1) we wanted the video to follow the dualistic-heartbreak plot of the song and 2) no member of Sal Paradise should be in it (because, really, it’s about the song.) We worked out the details, he went back to New Jersey/Virginia (where the vid was shot) and a few months later he had produced something better than we could’ve ever imagined."