After more than twenty years in the music industry in various different guises, singer-songwriter Sarah Howells continues to throw herself head first into her craft these days as Bryde. Since setting out as a solo artist in 2016, the Welsh musician has won a devoted following with her introspective lyrics and indie rock sound. For the record I adore her raw vulnerability and emotive vocals and quite frankly she’s left a lasting impression on my listening habits in recent years. And as you will soon find out Sarah Howells has turned honesty into an art form.
For those new to her solo project Bryde, first came the life affirming Help Yourself, the title track of her stunning EP1 in 2016. It was followed closely by EP2 which featured the venomous stomper Honey. In 2018, the momentum continued around the personable, evocative and stunning Like An Island, which topped this site’s best album list that year. Undeniably determined and unswerving in her conviction, Howell next produced two more acclaimed albums – The Volume of Things (2020) and Still (2022) – which leaned on her indie folk strengths but allowed her to straddle a world between both quieter electric ambience and diving guitars. And with her latest EP Change You Mind (release back in early April) the singer-songwriter is maybe even more resolute amid a world spiralling into chaos.
With that in mind, I decided to invite Sarah back to my site to talk about her latest offering. Here’s some of what we talked about.
Sarah, eight years have passed since you embarked on a new musical journey as Bryde. For readers still unfamiliar with you and your music, what drew you to a career as a solo artist? And what have been your biggest challenges?
Eight years! Gosh, time has flown. A solo career was always something I was going to try at some point. I love collaborating and sharing the stage with others but I had always wanted the freedom to make and play the music I was most passionate about, and on my own terms. I had the time to do it, so it made sense.
The biggest challenge was not having someone to bounce songwriting ideas off or someone to write half the album! It’s a lot more song ideas to come up with or writing sessions to do.
Three EP’s and three albums as Bryde is quite a feat. Your integrity as a songwriter never seems to waver, neither does the quality of your output. That said, I keep noticing a recurring thread of honest songwriting in the songs you write. What draws you to that approach in songwriting?
Thank you! Honest songwriting is just what I do. It’s never a conscious decision. I can really only write about things that really mean something to me and that live inside me so it makes sense that they’re quite personal and honest. I think honesty can be disarming and a powerful creative tool.
What is the most memorable or positive response you have had to your music?
When someone travels quite far to see a gig of mine it really means a lot. I’ve also had people say that certain songs really helped them through I difficult time. That helps to remind me why music matters and why I make it.
Your latest EP is called Change Your Mind; why did that song end up lending its title to the EP?
Change your Mind was, I think the first song I wrote for the EP, and to my mind was the strongest. The idea of changing your mind was something that was a strong theme in my life at the time, I’d be working in a supportive role in mental health and going through my own challenges. I’d been reading a book and watching a show called How to Change Your Mind about the effect of psychedelics on depression and also thinking a lot about Neuroplasticity and how we can change our brain. The divided times we live in and my desire to change the way some people think about social justice, equality and topics like that was also a strong theme for me. As usual, my lyrics hold a number of meanings and are open to interpretation.
In just four songs we experience an array of sounds and moods on your latest EP. The title track definitely brings to mind the type of music you were playing on Like An Island. And the three that follow are an eclectic mix of your indie folk strengths, emotional vulnerability and sonic intimacy. Did you go about writing these songs in a certain way, with songs tying into an overall theme?
My writing process is really very fluid. I simply don’t plan it or have any kind of notion of what I want to write until I’ve started to write it. I play a guitar or a piano and songs start to emerge. Not all ones that are worth finishing but the ones I keep and release are released because I feel they’re good enough and not really for any other reason. I think lyrically, because they’re usually written around the same time, the lyrics share themes and moods but this isn’t planned. It just is.
It feels like as a whole the EP is both wistful and achingly intimate. But I want to ask you about the lyrics “And there’s so much I’m dying to say/ But it scares you whenever I’m brave/ And I know we’ve been struggling lately/ But I need you maybe so don’t die, don’t die.” I didn’t see that as necessarily a bad thing. Can you elaborate a little about these lines in Change Your Mind?
These words refer to a close relationship with someone who’s mental health isn’t great and who I want to be honest with, without hurting them.
I watched your video for Change Your Mind. I like how it’s so simple: you go into a studio and do a workshop, and that’s it. Well, not quite. Haha, as an Australian there is a familiar flightless bird that makes a cameo too. What inspired the video? Tell me something funny about one of your favourite scenes?
There are a lot of animals in it! We recorded it on a working farm and you can hear birds on the recording of A Way. We were also staying above an old water mill and recorded some of the water rushing beneath the building and used it somewhere on the EP.
Making friends with an Emu and a Sheep was the best bit of wondering round the farm making the video.
Going back to something I brought up earlier. The instrumentation and the production sounds on the EP is as alway seemingly perfect. Even those added extra layers never feel like they overwhelm. Do you feel more confident in the studio? Or should I say have you always felt confident going in the studio? How much does your team help out with that?
This EP and my last album Still were both a real collaboration in the studio. I’ve always had the final say over what stays and what goes down on record and I usually play a lot of it too. I’ve been going into recording studios for over 20 years so yes I feel confident. I choose who to work with based on their artists merits and tastes but also how well we work together. I know what I’m looking for musically when I work with people and with the right people I know they’ll come up with ideas that I love. This EP was no exception.
The closing track A Way is arguably my favourite. Amongst other things it feels like it’s a song about taking stock and transformation. What’s the story behind the song?
You hit the nail on the head. It’s also about the apocalypse and the end of humanity and our obsession with living longer rather than living with more intention.
Sarah, before I let you go, I’ve always felt that your music helps us to remember that life can be both cruel and beautiful. Why are these two sides of life (if we look at it this way) important for you to explore as a musician and a person?
For me, acceptance is a huge part of living successfully as a human being. Accepting that life is both cruel and beautiful is necessary to live in harmony rather than battling against it. Maybe acceptance is what Change Your Mind is really about.
Rearview Mirror 
What a thoughtful songwriter and marvelous questions.