Folk Rock from Sadie Mustoe

Coming out of Melbourne’s music scene, singer-songwriter Sadie Mustoe is an indie folk storyteller who’s been going from strength to strength over the last five years. With a decorated musical ourney that already includes winning the Queenscliff Music Festival’s 2022 Foot-in-the-Door competition and being named runner-up in Folk Alliance Australia’s 2021 Folk Youth Artist of the Year, Sadie has been building towards this moment since childhood.

Having started writing and recording at just ten years old, she’s spent over a decade developing her sonic vision and is now stepping confidently into a new era of her artistic story. Capturing her sound in the studio, she made her official artistic entrance in 2020 with the debut single “More,” returning in 2022 with a string of songs leading up to her first EP, Shades of Yellow, which landed the following year. By 2023, she was performing across the country at festivals but also engaging directly with her growing fanbase online.

Her single “Power In This World” became a viral moment when she documented its recording journey across Europe for tens of thousands of fans online. Later that year, “I Find You Interesting” earned national radio play on Triple J Unearthed, expanding her reach even further and firmly planting her on the map of must watch Australian artists on the rise.

Now Sadie returns this year with her brand new single titled “White Flag,” the release fans had been clamouring for. Thematically, it’s an outpouring of anger, catharsis and pure energy; a track built to shout, stomp and let go. While her earlier work leaned into folk textures, “White Flag” sees her embracing the force of rock without sacrificing her lyrical intimacy. Working with producers Ben Irawan and Sam Varghese, she’s crafted a song that shakes with intensity yet remains drenched in colour, nuance and moments of folk tenderness.

The track pairs Sadie’s enchanting voice with inventive guitar progressions, experimental violin techniques and the impact of her live band. Heavy guitars and driving percussion collide with fiddle and folk-infused arrangements, all bound together by a chorus of truly anthemic quality. Opened by the soft strums of acoustic guitar, airy strings and Sadie’s expressive vocal leads, the song flows with delicate melodies and subtly haunting atmosphere before erupting with crunching electric guitar rhythms and punching drums capped by commanding vocal performance.

With intricate ebb and flow, the song rolls with passages of elegant folk style verses, charging rock-inflected choruses and soaring lead guitar work to deliver a thrilling listening experience throughout. Putting her songwriting talent and performance panache on full display, “White Flag” sees Sadie Mustoe serve up an epic outing that’s gripping, memorable and thoroughly original all at once. As she takes the song on tour across Western Australia and Victoria with both stripped-back acoustic sets and full-band shows, she’s showing that her music is just as powerful in quiet moments as it is in all-out release.

Listen to White Flag below

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