A soulful entrancement takes hold throughout stalemate, the melodic debut album from Brooklyn-based artist Sarah Khatami. Inspired by Khatami’s first heartbreak, the release struts a sharp pop production, melding elements of soul and R&B within personable, vulnerable lyrics capturing the immediate aftermath of a relationship’s demise.
“I told myself that instead of texting my ex, I would just write a song,” Khatami says. “It was hard. There were moments where I’d be sitting at the piano sobbing, unable to get through a line. But now, I’ve created this sort of sonic snapshot of what I’m like when I’m going through a breakup, and specifically, what my first heartbreak was like.”
The riveting opener “save a lil daylight for me” enamors with its admissions — “I don’t feel loved anymore,” — amidst sporadic bouncing keys. The chorus is wholly replay-inducing, with a title-touting beckoning that aligns with ascending vocal emotion and hooky synth elements. “Can you save a little daylight for me?” Khatami sings there. “brain” presents a more yearning, introspective character — depicting how difficult it can be to emerge from a relationship’s rubble, when daily routines without one’s partner feel strange and alien.
A multitude of various highlights continue, from the string-laden late-night grooves of “guilty” to the soulfully charismatic “over you,” which features smooth-as-butter brass. stalemate is a consistently compelling success from Sarah Khatami, representing a ravishing debut.
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“save a lil daylight for me” is also featured in the genre-based, best-of Spotify compilation Emerging Indie Soul.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
