Alternative Press teamed up with the Saddest Landscape for an exclusive vinyl of Alone With Heaven, limited to 100. Head to the AP Shop to grab yours.
The Saddest Landscape have released “The Invisible Hurt” featuring Julien Baker, from their upcoming album, Alone With Heaven. The track, meant to act as a reminder that you are not alone, was a long time coming for vocalist/guitarist Andy Maddox after struggling to bring it to life and properly explain to his bandmates how he wanted it to sound. He envisioned it as a duet to reflect inner anxiety.
“The voice I heard was Julien Baker, so much so that Daniel affectionately titled the song ‘JulienHopeful,’ Maddox says. “We hold her in the highest esteem as an artist. Her records get inside and leave marks in the best way possible. We are forever in awe of her talent. After nervously approaching her, we were beyond elated when she enthusiastically agreed to take part. Daniel and I are not ashamed to admit we teared up the first time we heard her part. It did everything we had hoped for and more.”
Read more: See Turnstile bring out Julien Baker for “UNDERWATER BOI”
After being a longtime fan of the Saddest Landscape, Baker says that collaborating on the song was “cyclical,” finding inspiration from their openness to blending different vocal styles and helping her feel represented in a heavier music scene.
“I remember listening to ‘You Will Not Survive’ and hearing a familiar, beautiful voice singing among the screaming, so I looked in the liner notes and saw it was Laura Stevenson doing guest vocals,” Baker says. “I was playing shows with a bunch of dudes in heavy bands. I really connected to the music, but I hadn’t yet seen a lot of examples of someone with my voice integrated into that style. To see this aggressive band collaborating with someone with such a different sound, it set a precedent for me.”
Alone With Heaven also includes collaborations from Touché Amoré’s Jeremy Bolm and Into it. Over it’s Evan Weiss, with 16 pages of art by guitarist Daniel Danger, who has worked with the Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Guillermo Del Toro, and more.
Listen to “The Invisible Hurt” below.
