Faye Webster has been crowned the ‘Sad Girl Indie Queen’, but why should her music be restricted to such a diminutive label? Whilst the Atlanta singer-songwriter’s focus on yearning, plaintive lyrics has won her fame among TikTok’s heartbroken masses and landed her songs in Spotify’s Sad Indie playlist, it belies the entirety of her artistic output. Despite her newfound success and notoriety, the musician remains fiercely private, revealing little of her life off-stage. Even during interviews, she appears open yet reserved, willing to discuss her music in detail whilst avoiding personal topics.
Webster’s recent album, ‘Underdressed at the Symphony’, marks the first time in a while that she has found herself completely alone, consumed by loneliness and longing following her separation from former long-term partner Boothlord. A breakup record, it explores an array of emotions beyond the sadness of the aftermath. There is an undercurrent of boredom throughout the album, inspired by the monotony of pandemic life that permeates Webster’s work. Nonetheless, she sees boredom as a form of inspiration, as it encourages relatable thoughts and moments of creativity.
Alongside her trusted backing band, Webster worked with legendary guitarist Nels Cline, and her childhood friend, Lil Yachty, to craft the album’s sound. She incorporated a newfound love for the orchestra and the music of Ryuichi Sakamoto to create a unique and intricate tapestry of emotion in ‘Underdressed at the Symphony’. The resulting sound is anything but one-note, as she explores a gamut of human feeling with nimble dexterity.
Webster doesn’t shy away from the ‘Sad Girl Indie’ label that has been thrust upon her. Instead, she embraces it with a wry sense of humour and a sardonic wit. The fetishisation of female pain that it represents does bother her, but she doesn’t see it as her place to comment. What she does care about is her music, which she sees as an avenue for connection and understanding. As someone who wants to see herself related to and understood by her listeners, Webster takes pride in the profound impact her music has had on so many people’s lives
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