Song of the Day: Sad13 - <2

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Morning Show with John Richards, comes from Sad13, the solo project of Sadie Dupuis, also of Speedy Ortiz. "<2" (pronounced "Less Than 2") is the lead track from her debut LP, Slugger, out now on Carpark Records.

Sad13 - <2 (MP3)As Sadie Dupuis embarks out on her own with Slugger, she goes full Signs on us and swings for the fence. The songs captured here may dial the fuzz levels back from Speedy Ortiz levels, but that doesn't mean they've stopped gunning for the heart. Dupuis is one of the most innovative and vulnerable songwriters around, and with Slugger, she's bent on making both of these ends a number one priority. Inasmuch, it's a pitch-perfect debut record, and one you'll absolutely want to see when she takes it on the road.

"<2" kicks the album off with Sadie's thesis statement, and it's a very catchy one. While we can't have it all, we aspire to be many things at once, and "<2" documents the difficulty of this aspiration. After all, how often do we find ourselves less than the sum of our parts, in terms of what we bring to the table in relationships, creativity, or other endeavors? Dupuis equates this feeling to a high school bully, proudly wearing a badge of singular accomplishment while Sadie goes about her business. But as she has discovered with time and experience, ditching the fight for validation and fighting for yourself instead is always the answer. Over top a soaring pop hook, Sadie gives us one life lesson after another as she sets the stage for the landscape of experience that Slugger brings. It's a great introduction to the album, and a great introduction to Sad13, Sadie Dupuis, the modern girl taking on all of the world's disdain with shimmering confidence.

You can catch Sad13 live in Seattle next week at The Vera Project, on Tuesday, November 29. Find more dates and more music on her website and Facebook page. For now, watch the incredible video below, in which Sadie skewers Youtube makeup tutorials like a boss (the donut look is bound to trend).