The latest release from indie label owner and songwriter extraordinaire Rachael Sage is a look back at her past, and another full circle moment at a very significant point in her musical and personal journey.
Written when she was in college, Sage returned to the track during a recovery period after diagnosis and treatment for endometrial cancer, and was struck by how much the lyrics still resonated with her even so many years later. In this updated version, Sage performs the deeply introspective song as part of a stripped back studio arrangement, the video littered with lyrics written in Sage’s own handwriting to emphasise the ruminative elements of the song itself.
Compared to some of Rachael Sage’s other songs, ‘Cave’ could be said to be more downbeat and serious than some of her other offerings. However, the lyrics never stray into depressive territory and instead remain curious and honest about Sage’s emotions and the state of the world as a whole – taking on a new meaning in light of lockdown isolation.
Storytelling has always been one of Sage’s strong suits, but she really comes into her own on this track, a standout moment of her album ‘Character’, in which she traverses the plains of health, gratitude, wonder as she recovers from a life-changing year.
In ‘Cave’, we see the quieter side of this recovery as Sage displays her fears over an understated guitar part. The song is a triumph of strength through vulnerability, one of the key themes of Sage’s album, and something we can all relate to during these difficult days.
