Sylvie Turns From Daylight To Grief On "New Season"
Written By: Big C
The light changes first, and only then does the landscape begin to look unfamiliar. Sylvie, the project led by Ben Schwab, follows a gradual turn across New Season. Side A greets the morning with movement and discovery, while Side B makes space for the grief that comes home at night. Across "New Season," the rotating ensemble lets each song find the voices and textures it needs while Schwab’s production keeps the album all connected. On California Hills, Ferrell’s voice hangs over a growing blend of instruments and harmonies, letting a song about absence gather the sound of company. Schwab describes the goodbye at its center:
'California Hills' is about the feeling of absence that comes from being in a place that was once shared with someone who is no longer there. The vastness of the natural landscape and the California hills serve as a metaphor for the magnitude of that feeling.
Schwab produced the songs largely in his home studio before finishing the record at Abbey Road Studios, with contributors including Sierra Ferrell, Alex Amen and Courtney Marie Andrews. Rina, originally written by Schwab’s father John Schwab, approaches a passing friendship through soft guitars, brass and pedal steel, with Alex singing over them. Not Looking Back Anymore takes a different route through the same question of who stays in your life. Listen to "California Hills" below and follow Sylvie on Instagram and Bandcamp ahead of the 2027 West Coast dates.
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