Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Suz Slezak - "Take Me"


We're pretty huge fans of David Wax Museum here at If It's Too Loud..., so we're obviously going to be excited that Suz Slezak has a new solo song out. "Take Me" is a gorgeous piano ballad with Slezak displaying more emotion than she ever has before. The song is about the birth of her first child and all of the emotions that involves. It really runs the gamut of every possible emotion, typically within the same line. It's such a beautiful and unique song that I hesitate to truly call it a piano ballad. You all have something very specific in mind when you hear the phrase "piano ballad," and I assure you "Take Me" sounds nothing like that.

On a Facebook post, Suz Slezak talks about her new single:

"I wrote 'Take Me' as an attempt to accept the circumstances surrounding the birth of my first child. Amongst my fellow moms-to-be, expectations around giving birth loom large, especially the pressure to have a 'natural' birth. I spent my first pregnancy lying down on the back of the tour van watching “gentle birth” videos on YouTube. These videos showed mothers in birthing tubs gently swaying, eyes closed, sometimes moaning quietly as the baby slipped out. Meanwhile, hugging my body pillow as we slogged along I-95, I dissolved into tears of joy at witnessing the miracle of life.
"When my 40-hour labor ended in an emergency c-section, my tears lasted for years, as I processed the disappointment and anger at myself for somehow believing in a birth that might be 'easy' and 'natural' just because I’d wished it so. The healing process was quite long for me, as I underwent the physical recovery from surgery, combined with feelings that I hadn’t tried hard enough or prepared well enough. Today I can see that the fact I toured throughout both my pregnancies was actually quite heroic. But it has taken nearly a decade. 'Take Me' is a statement of deep acceptance of myself, scars and all, and a recognition of the intense fear that can be involved in giving birth, despite our intentions to welcome the pain as we become a vessel for new life."

You can listen to "Take Me" below. Our Wings May Be Featherless is due out March 4 on Nine Mile Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Suz Slezak, check out David Wax Museum's website.

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