An artist who has been favourably dubbed the ‘DIY Queen’ and ‘nothing less than a superhuman’ by the brilliant Audiofemme, Vanessa Silberman has taken 2020 in her strike, releasing a stellar stream of singles that perfectly encapsulate her alt-grunge sound. Drawing inspiration from anthemic rock, old school grunge, and raw, explosive punk, Vanessa has just released her seventh single of the year, blending pop production and hip-hop vibes into her cataclysmic sound to give us all ‘Something To Believe In’.
A song that celebrates emotion, ‘Something to Believe In’ revels in moody melodies and mysterious feelings, creating a stark, visceral atmosphere that everyone will be able to relate to. Lyrically, the song touches on finding light in dark places and changing perspectives, offering a perfect balance between deep personal moments and true universal understanding.
As with her other singles, ‘Something to Believe In’ was produced, engineered, programmed, performed, mixed, and mastered by Vanessa herself, along with additional creative input and drum consulting by Ryan Carnes. Released today, ‘Something to Believe In’ now comes complete with some stunning new visual which you can check out below in our exclusive premiere.
Vanessa said of the song, “I rewrote ‘Something to Believe In’ about six times, the most I’ve ever rewritten a song! A lot of the background vocals are from the first original demo version (rough vocals I recorded at like 8:30 am in the morning and something that came very instantaneous). I wanted to really evolve my writing style with ‘Something to Believe In.’ I continually want to make things exciting and not be afraid to try different things, like music inspiration as well as switch up my vocal range. During my live shows, my voice naturally can get raspy, then I can alter it to a higher range but it’s a different animal to capture my lower range on a recording especially when I’m producing it myself and when I’m writing as I record.”
She continued, “Sometimes it’s a challenging thing to get a good perspective when I’m doing the majority of everything myself (play everything, record, produce, mix, etc.). But luckily myself and my drummer Ryan Carnes have a really nice virtual collaboration. I just kept sending him different demo versions of the song until we got something that was really strong to build on. He also really helped me refine the drum parts and added some other creative input (like how to help it build more… or sometimes he’ll comment on a melody and suggest switching something around or say, ‘hey you gotta check out these vocals or drums on this song or listen to this record’ and it will totally be the right vibe for inspiration or idea). I think that’s the special and important thing about collaborating with people. It can really open you up more — expanded ideas and help see things differently! It’s really fun!”
Acclaimed for her “polished, yet edgy version of grunge-inspired punk”, Vanessa’s music and live performances have been said to have the appeal of Liz Phair and Chrissie Hynde, the authenticity of classic artists, like Patti Smith, Neil Young, and the pop sensibilities of commercial radio artists, such as Green Day and Metric. Check out the new video above ad be sure to follow her on social media so you don’t miss the new album when it drops.
Photo by Michelle LoBianco. Video animation by Fuel Heart Productions.
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