Sad13’s Musical Rebirth

Sad13 is back — and it’s kind of amazing. The track hits hard. From the first second, you know something’s different — that vibe alone could carry a whole album.

The Sound Hits Different

So, what gets me is — how is this her first major release in a while? The new mixtape 1331 drops July 10 on Exploding In Sound, with the first three songs out now: “I Am Now Completely Invisible”, “Art Institute”, and “Watermelon Manicure”. And honestly, it’s lowkey impressive how Sadie Dupuis turned a shattered elbow into a creative rebirth — but it was funny, to be writing about the mayor and hating the mayor and then she was nearly killed because of a decision made by the mayor. It’s real talk — the injury heavily informed the final product — she couldn’t return to the road with Speedy Ortiz until fall 2024, and wasn’t able to begin tracking her new material until the following February. The cool thing was it allowed a lot more influences to seep into it — like Rebecca Black and The Hard Quartet. You’ll probably find yourself replaying it — in a year of polished pop, this feels refreshingly raw. Gotta say, the mixtape’s DIY ethos is part of its charm — and it’s no joke, this is some of Sad13’s best work yet.

But, the question remains — when did indie rock get this fearless? The short songs on 1331 are also a paean to music’s best practitioners of concision — from indie-rock heroes Guided By Voices to experimental Philly rapper Tierra Whack. Somehow, this all works — the thing is, it’s not easy to make short songs that slap, but Dupuis nails it. Check out Sad13 on Wikipedia for more info.