SARAH HILTZ DIFFUSES THE DEPTHS OF ANGER IN SWIM
TORONTO SINGER-SONGWRITER TO
RELEASE NEW PROJECT IN EARLY 2022
WATCH LYRIC VIDEO FOR SWIM
PODCAST TO LAUNCH IN COMING WEEKS
“Feel fires rage
Lungs burn, hands shake
Touch, turn
Work it out inside the lane”
- Sarah Hiltz in Swim
TORONTO, ON – October 22, 2021 – Today, Toronto-based singer-songwriter, Sarah Hiltz, flows with her new single, Swim. Inspired by a deep study of anger, the song will be featured on an upcoming body of work that both embraces and grapples with the topic with raw artistry. Here, Sarah looks at the experience of a lane swim as a method for diffusing anger in the body, via a body of water. Listen to Swim and watch the lyric video here.
With stunning layered vocals, piano keys that hit notes like drops to the surface of a pool, and meditative resonant verse; “I focus on the place that I am in/ Water covering my skin/ And it all begins to fade/ Carried off with each new wave,” Swim draws upon numerous references – from the works of Anger: Wisdom For Cooling The Flames by Thich Nhat Hanh to an episode of Parks & Recreation.
Sarah has dedicated a period of deep research around anger and its various origins and connections. Through interviewing experts, friends, family, and fellow artists to absorbing literature, articles and other sources of media, she is pairing this new collection of songs with an ancillary podcast series that will dive deeper into the topic. Stay tuned for the first episode in the coming weeks, featuring a conversation about the way anger shows up, and is worked out, in the body.
“During the research stage, one of my interviewees made an interesting comment when we spoke, wondering if the automation of labour and general daily tasks might be contributing to our collective struggle to express anger, that maybe doing repetitive motion things with the body was sort of a built-in way of dealing with our anger, and with its removal, there are less things serving that function in our lives,” Sarah says.
In the process of creating Swim, Sarah discovered that expressing physical violence (ie. punching a pillow or punching bag) doesn’t help to dissipate anger, but rather reinforces those neural pathways, and encourages our brains to practice the evolution of becoming angry. Swimming – a non-violent physical activity – struck a chord.
“These are all the things that were on my mind when I wrote this song about attending the lane swim at the pool around the corner from my house. I often showed up in a state of either depression or anger and moving my body through the water helped to refocus me on the tactile and on the present moment.”
Swim features vocals, piano and acoustic guitar by Sarah Hiltz, with drums by Charlotte Cornfield, bass by Connor Walsh, vibraphone and tenor glockenspiel by Bruce Cawdron and additional vocals by Colleen Brown, Tara Kannangara, and Rachael Cardiello.
Engage in sonic studies from Sarah Hiltz and learn more about her career to date below.
About Sarah Hiltz
Sarah Hiltz is a contemporary folk artist based in Toronto. Her current project has her researching the ways Canadians experience, express and suppress anger in modern society, especially women, and creating a song cycle in response.
Sarah’s last album, Beauty In The Blue, compiled songs and stories culled from her multiple journeys across Canada as a travelling musician on VIARail’s passenger train, “The Canadian”. Beauty in the Blue features lush, nuanced vocals and jazz-influenced songwriting.
Sarah has independently released three full-length albums and two EPs since 2009. Her work over the last decade as a talented singer-songwriter has landed her Folk Music Ontario’s Songs From The Heart Award (Political Category), opening slots for Canadian icons Gordon Lightfoot and Ron Hynes, Top 3 placement in a nation-wide music competition (She’s The One), a Best Folk Album nomination (Toronto Independent Music Awards) and earned her an invitation to give a TEDx talk in 2014.
