Sarah Pray is Madison, WI-based singer/songwriter and musician, who can trace much of the origins of her music career to growing up in a musical household: Pray’s father taught her piano and by the time she turned five, she was learning jazz chords and music theory.
As a teenager, Pray interned at recording studios in Madison and Minneapolis — and then she started writing her own original music. Pray started her career as as solo artist, releasing her first few releases under her name. She then made a name for herself as one-half of folk duo Kivi & Pray with her ex-husband Thomas Kivi, an act that toured across much of Europe and the States.
During both the pandemic and divorce, Pray wanted to experiment — and return to her roots. “I am a big fan of female artists like Bjork, Angel Olsen, Fiona Apple, and PJ Harvey, who constantly evolve. I feel more in touch with myself more than ever since the divorce.” Pray’s latest project Carrellee sees the Wisconsin-born singer/songwriter and musician working with Brett Bullion to fine tune her songs, giving them a sleek, modern air.
Pray’s Carrellee debut, Scale of Dreams is slated for a November 18, 2022 release through Negative Gain Productions. Thematically, the album is heavily informed by Pray’s divorce with the album evoking the heartache, longing, frustration, regret and bitterness of a major relationship’s end. Sonically, the material draws from Cocteau Twins, Kate Bush and a wide variety of Italo disco and synthwave with each instrument being processed through crumped and fried analog tape.
Scale of Dreams‘ first single “Morning Sun” is a dark and seductive synthesis of Giorgio Moroder-like Italo disco, industrial electronic and pop featuring thumping and skittering beats, glistening synth arpeggios paired with razor sharp hooks and Pray’s sultry delivery expressing aching longing — and the song’s narrator’s realization that their relationship has irrevocably changed.
“Morning Sun” came to Pray during a dream she had as she was getting divorced. The next morning, she quickly transcribed it from her home studio, and shared the demo video on Facebook, where it has amassed over 370,000 views.
The accompanying video features Pray wearing different wigs in superimposed or directly in neon light and explosive bursts of light in a variety of sexually-charged scenarios.
