There are a variety of ways an artist can morph their output into something brilliant once they embark on a new chapter. Moving on from old creative endeavors that have run their course not only allows for artists to evolve, but it often helps them flourish beyond their own comprehension. Brian Eno left Roxy Music and went on to become one of the most influential pioneers of ambient music and analog recording techniques of the past fifty years. Kathleen Hanna leaving behind the confrontational political punk rock of Bikini Kill to embrace the lo-fi electronic grooves and playful samples in Le Tigre and The Julie Ruin unearthed a treasure trove of joyous tunes that punk kids could dance to, and all she had at her disposal at the time was a simple drum machine and an 8-track recorder.
After releasing their debut double-sided single, “Leah//Don’t Wait” in 2022, New York power pop band Seeing Double took the New York indie rock scene by storm and gained millions of streams in the span of just two months. Throughout their two-year run, they received international press coverage and a devoted local following, playing sold out shows at The Mercury Lounge and The Bitter End.
Now, Allie Sandt, the former lead singer of Seeing Double, is ready to reintroduce herself to the world with her brand new solo project and debut single, “The Flood.” According to Sandt, recording and releasing “The Flood” was a lengthy odyssey of carefully crafting every aspect of the song to perfection. It took five years of re-writes, compositional alterations, and finally landing on collaborators who not only understood her vision, but helped her enhance it and expand on it. The result is a five-minute soft rock cruise through a symphony of layered acoustic guitars and Sandt’s buttery vocals gliding over pedal steel and a tight percussive foundation.
A Grrrl’s Two Sound Cents caught up with Allie Sandt to discuss the long game she played meticulously crafting “The Flood,” her opinions on artistic evolution, and being a straight-shooter when it comes to songwriting.
After building up quite a name for yourself with your [previous] band, Seeing Double, what does this new solo direction signify for the future of your output?
Since Seeing Double’s split in October, I’ve been figuring out how this new chapter is going to look, sound, and feel different. The biggest change I’ve noticed is that I don’t feel like I’m playing a character anymore. With Seeing Double, it was much easier to get into the performer mindset because we had this 70s/indie rock label attached to our sound right from the jump. Without meaning to, I started to imitate other artists and bands on stage and through writing of Seeing Double’s music which helped get into the right headspace for every sort of output we had: taking photos, playing live shows, songwriting, on stage banter, and more. Releasing music as a solo artist is daunting in that it feels much more personal and revealing than writing with a band does. Fans of the band often didn’t know our individual names and attached the lyrics and image to “Seeing Double” not each of us, while releasing music as a solo artist puts it all on the table. That said, I am figuring out how to write and play my music in a way that is authentic to me, not the Seeing Double version of me. This new project experiments with different genres, so “The Flood” isn’t representative of the rest of the songs… which I think is exciting!
What did the process for writing “The Flood” look like and what were some highlights from the recording process with your collaborators?
I wrote “The Flood” back in 2019 when I was seventeen or so with the intention of playing it with my first band, Sonny & the Sharks. In the past five years, I have played it with 20+ different musicians and it’s taken on so many different forms that when it came time to record, there were a ton of ideas to draw from. I wish I remembered the writing process better – what I do remember is that it was one of those songs written in one sitting which is rare for me. The recording process started with drums and fellow SUNY Oneonta student Luke Mock and I recorded Dylan Travison (also the drummer from Seeing Double) back in November of 2022. Dylan is great because he is very meticulous and will get every section right until we wrap things up. He is also great at writing parts on the spot and understanding my rhythmic babble of ideas and translating it to the drums. There was a lot of “Play sh-sh-sh-boom-tss” and laughter and late nights getting it all right! Mike Aaron (Seeing Double guitarist) played bass on this track. He wrote this really groovy line back in 2021 and was happy to record when I asked him– I think the bass line really ties the song together. Teddy Holly plays guitar in my band now and he is a genre chameleon. We spent a lot of time working out parts for the lead guitar in “The Flood” and he found the perfect balance of blues and pedal steel-type country licks. All three of those musicians inspire me to be better and after getting their ideas down, I went into my recording sessions with an open mind. I recorded vocals, guitars, mandolin, shaker, and more in both SUNY Oneonta’s campus studios and in my childhood bedroom, and apartment closet.
Are you the type of songwriter who’s very particular about what you want once you have a vision, or are you more of a go-with-the-flow type of creator?
I am definitely a straight shooter when it comes to writing. Once an idea forms I usually know what direction I want to take it in. The fun of playing with different musicians is that all of my songs have taken on different forms throughout the years as each person puts their own spin on it. Now, recording studio versions, I am excited to nail down the feeling for each song and make each more permanent in a way. In the future, I want to try to be a go-with-the-flow type, just to see what happens.
How has your relationship to the song changed from when you first started writing it up to now?
Like mentioned before, “The Flood” has had many different versions through the years. Through them all, I’ve liked reconnecting with my younger self when singing it. My writing style and playing has changed a lot since then but it’s fun to put myself back in the shoes of a seventeen-year-old me, in Catholic girls high school in NJ and probably going to musical theater rehearsal after the bell. My life has changed a lot since then and my relationship to the musical part of the song has transformed as my band I have added and taken away parts naturally from playing it so many times, but the core message of the lyrics still rings true to me as I sing it. Honestly insane that it’s been 5 years… !!!
I am definitely a straight shooter when it comes to writing. Once an idea forms I usually know what direction I want to take it in. The fun of playing with different musicians is that all of my songs have taken on different forms throughout the years as each person puts their own spin on it.
– Allie Sandt
I understand that you spent quite a while putting this song together. Why was it important for you to take extra time to get this one right?
Since this was my first release and first project post-Seeing Double, there was even more pressure to get it right than past songs (and the pressure was from no one but me)! Now I can say that the many hours put into it were worth it, but there was definitely a learning curve of doing things as a solo artist as opposed to having a 5-piece band to work with.
Every great artist has a great mentor in their circle. Who has been that person for you?
Ooh, I am lucky to have a few mentors but most recently that person has been Sarah Gross, a country artist from Long Island that is going to be playing stadiums soon. (She actually already has! Zach Bryan asked her to sing a song with him the other week at UBS Arena after seeing videos of her singing at his tailgate!!!). My friends know that I gush about Sarah any chance I get and that is because she’s not only an uber-talented performer, engineer, and producer, but a role model for any independent artists working towards a career in music and a great person in general. In an industry where you see women pitted against each other all the time, Sarah is a breath of fresh air because she genuinely lifts up the other artists in her circle without a second thought.
When you’re tackling a project on your own and your vision is a ship your steering alone, how does your approach to completing a project change from when you’re doing it with a band?
With a band, there was a lot more effort to combine everyone’s influences in order to find our sound. Now, the possibilities seem more open because my say is final. This is both really cool and very paralyzing, haha! I tend to still get opinions and bounce ideas off of my friends who played on each track. Though “The Flood” is my first solo release, it was a super collaborative process and each of the musicians put countless hours into recording their contributions. I definitely spend more time on each part because I’m not on anyone’s clock but mine – someone please find me and tell me to hurry up, xoxo.
What does the rest of the year have in store for Allie Sandt?
The songs on this upcoming project are almost done! Expect more singles to be part of an EP and lots and lots of live shows this summer with the band. So excited to start playing outside of Oneonta and into “the real world.”
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