Review: Sarah Close – Getting Older

Hampshire and Isle of Wight native Sarah Close comes back after 11 months away from releasing music with emotional ballad ‘Getting Older’. Known for her stunning lyricism and incredible honesty, she does not disappoint with this return. 

This is definitely an incredibly emotional review for me to do. Sarah Close has formed an important part of my life for the past 5-6 years, and so watching her music develop is like watching a piece of myself grow up and mature as she does too. So it’s fitting that her return to the music industry s on this notion of growing older and realising so many of the pieces of your past are never going to return. More than anything else, though, it’s a reflection on her personal journey in music and the public eye, and how fast she was forced to grow up in the environment she was thrust into.

The first listen at a few minutes past midnight brought me to tears. It’s the honest reflection on my own life that I needed; a wakeup call to realise how fast time is slipping away and to appreciate the present, and not fuss with trying to grow up. Caught up in your own bubble, it is incredibly easy to get lost, but Close provides that halt in this track that we all need.

The crowning glory of this song is undoubtedly the tape recordings of 4 year old Close talking about playing music, and singing ‘as many songs as she wants’. It’s this that forces you to look back at her journey over the last 9 years, and her life overall. You hear this small girl from a small island, eager to just do what she loves and you see how far she’s come. Moving to London; moving back to the Isle of Wight at the start of the pandemic; the struggle she’s had in front of the public eye as well was with management and label – and you realise that every moment is precious, no matter if it’s good or bad.

Production wise, there’s nothing complicated going on – its very much Sarah Close at her core, writing songs at her piano, and making silly YouTube videos singing through Q&A videos with a smile on her face. But it forces emphasis on each and every lyric she sings in her unique voice and then forces you to reflect on your own life.

Overall, I honestly know that whatever Sarah releases from here on out in this new era, is going to be in this same vein. With the honesty and rawness of this and I’m very excited to see how she follows this up.

‘Getting Older’ is available to listen to now on all streaming platforms via The Kodiak Club / LAB Records. Watch the video below: