Sara Kays, Annie DiRusso @ Mercury Lounge
Every day can feel like a struggle. Am I right? Luckily, Sara Kays can provide a soundtrack to those days. Whether you’re dealing with a breakup, your parents break up, or just life in general, Kays has a song for you.
Kays’ first ep “A House Too Big” was released in 2018 and she has since released two more EPs. “Camera Shy” came out in 2021 and her newest EP “Struck by Lightning” in 2021. She also has a couple of singles including the popular hit “Home For The Summer.” With a strong social media presence, the singer-songwriter has garnered a lot of attention, especially on TikTok. Thanks to her virality, Kays has now amassed over 4 million listeners on Spotify as people feel connected to her songs. On the wide spectrum of pop, Kays sits strongly on the alternative side. A heavy lyrical focus combined with a light acoustic sound has Kays climbing the ladder of alt pop.
Her recent EP “Struck by Lightning” contains seven songs and the first track “Struck by Lightning” features Cavetown. This song was actually made as a request from a fan of Sara’s asking her to make a song about helping a friend through depression. Kays delivered and “Struck By Lightning” was born with its lyrics about just showing up and being there for someone. The other tracks on the EP mostly deal with breakups with the exception of “Future Kids”, a song about not wanting your future kids to be sad like you.
Despite all the sad sounding ideas that Kays music focuses on, her music doesn’t sound depressing or morose. Simple instrumentation of mostly acoustic guitar and ukulele keep the tracks rather lighthearted and the lyrics have just the right touch on these topics. They’re enough to get the point across without being overbearing and forcing you to contemplate your life.
Learning my lesson from last concert when I arrived an hour before door time and got stuck in the back, I made sure to arrive extra early to Sara Kays’ show at the Mercury Lounge in NYC. It paid off as I got a front row spot touching the stage, which was a super cool experience. Being closer to the action and seeing everything up close helps add a little extra sprinkle of specialness to the experience.
Opening for Kays on her headlining tour was Annie DiRusso. Walking us through some of her songs’ stories and cracking a few jokes along the way, DiRusso created a lighthearted atmosphere that was perfect for the small venue. I wasn’t too familiar with DiRusso’s discography, but after that night I definitely took a more thorough listen. After DiRusso, Kays came onstage with the band. Her set list included all of her songs off her current EP, a couple of older ones, and a cover. After opening with a couple of newer songs, Kays threw in some oldies of hers and even a cover.
The band had great chemistry and Kays sounded fantastic. Since it was a smaller crowd, there was much more of a sense of community among us listeners. People were chatting with each other during and after the show and there was a friendly vibe going around. The band hung around after their set and I got photos with Andrew, the guitarist, and Quinn the bassist. Massive thanks to Andrew for giving me his signed setlist.
Check out Sara Kays’ music here. Annie DiRusso’s here. Find shots from the show here.