In her standout single, ‘Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,’ the award-winning Canadian-Egyptian artist Sarah Shafey conjured a maelstrom of emotion and sound, marking a bold new chapter in the legacy alt-rock.
Infused with a hypnotic etherealism seamlessly married to the raw, sludgy aesthetics of grunge, Shafey’s latest single finished what Wolf Alice started. Her singular sonic footprint blazes a trail for a stylised resurgence, one that sinks swathes of substance into style and is layered with sonic transitions from the ferocious growl of grunge to the futuristic shimmer of synth-driven indie rock.
Her latest album ‘The Paper Bag Princess’, from which Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark was taken, draws from the empowering narrative of Robert Munsch’s children’s book, infusing her music with a feminist ethos that puts her in Kathleen Hanna’s lyrical league while vocally allowing her harmonies to drip Shirley Manson-esque seduction.
Shafey’s approach to this album—an eight-song manifesto melding personal revelation with a ’90s grunge backdrop—signals a defiant overturning of outdated norms. As she navigates through a soundscape crafted with chugging guitars and ethereal synths, Shafey not only redefines her musical identity but also challenges the listener to embrace a narrative of strength and self-discovery.
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark was officially released on November 15th; stream the single on SoundCloud now.
Review by Amelia Vandergast