When Mike McCabe, also known as Sugar Dirt and Sand, was an “angsty little teenager,” he turned to music as an outlet for his teenage emotions.
“When all those teenage emotions come out, you’ve got to put it out in a kind of positive way,” said McCabe. “I don’t like that teenage kind of emo music anymore. Started moving away from that in my older years.”
While in college, McCabe played rhythm guitar and provided vocals in a band, which he says he is glad didn’t work out.
“I think it was a fun experience, but I’m glad it didn’t work out. At some points we were doing it for the wrong reason. It got a little ego-driven.”
McCabe made plans to study abroad to Seville, Spain, with his girlfriend. He canceled his plans to stay behind and keep playing with his college band.
“I started playing music with these guys around the same time and I swiped on her. I basically said I had to stay back and play music.”
After school, McCabe found himself teaching in a bilingual school in Seville. On his first weekend there, he emailed the same girl, asking about local hangouts.
“When I went to those places, it was honestly a very supernatural experience, just the weight of her having been there and then me being there without her. It just kind of fucked with my head, I guess.”
McCabe used this emotional weight to write his new single, “Sevilla Song.” The single has hard-hitting drums, bass solos and distortion, contrasting to the poppy-soulful and acoustic vibes of the other tracks.
“(Seville Song) could be a throwback from my more rock band days … That was really the best way to encapsulate the emotion that I felt. I couldn’t put that into some kind of acoustic song. It’s anger and bitterness.”
Listen to “Sevilla Song” here:
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