big sigh by sarah june.
After years of gradually releasing singles, Sarah June finally delivers a warm, intimate body of work with her new EP, big sigh. Arriving just months after the success of her most popular single, light of the sun, this project feels like a culmination of her lyrical brilliance. June’s dreamlike vocals guide big sigh, an EP that captures the essence of growing up and the fragile complexities of love. Woven with melancholy, nostalgia, and the quiet ache of coming of age, it centers June’s voice and guitar in a beautifully intimate way.
The opening track, moon, begins with gentle electric guitar strums that set a dreamy, reflective tone. This track suggests missed opportunities and deep self-reflection. Lines like “I created a moon. It reflects in a puddle. On the balcony. Outside my apartment,” may blur the line between illusion and reality, pulling the listener into a dreamlike state. With her lyrics, June consistently creates vivid worlds in the listener’s mind, inviting them to walk in her shoes and share in her emotions. The song’s tone feels like a cozy night spent in your bedroom, lost in reflection. When she asks, “Sarah, why can’t you be like me?” and she later encounters “the woman I’d become,” it feels like an inner confrontation between her past and present self. The song balances wonder with melancholy, capturing the bittersweet process of maybe growing up.
On Dig Through, June returns to her acoustic guitar, crafting an uplifting, guitar-forward track that recalls the textures of her earlier single Shades. In the chorus, “Which way to go? We’re stuck in a hole,” it feels like June is shouting out to the void, feeling lost and searching for what path to take. “Spoke on the phone yesterday with your wife, she seemed okay, but in her voice I heard the truth,” may hint that this person has moved on, yet their pain lingers below, echoing Sarah’s own. It’s feels like one of those tracks that captures the feeling of two people stuck in the weight of their path, both suffering in the silence.
When I listen to nine and a half, it gives me the feeling of being completely caught off guard by someone you love or admire. They make you feel small, shy, and unsure of yourself, almost like you’re reliving the butterflies and awkwardness of your very first crush. “Everything makes me nervous, Everything makes me shy, It’s your eyes,” shows how easy this person makes them feel vulnerable and awkward. When exploring love in her music, June effortlessly captures emotions so precisely that listeners feel as if the words are coming straight from their own hearts. This brings us to the final track on big sigh, light of the sun. It’s a song that distills relatable emotions into a tender listening experience. light of the sun is one of those rare songs that makes you feel an immediate connection to June, reminding us all of the longing and special emotions we experience for someone we deeply admire when we first fall in love.
| “Can I lay here with you
All afternoon
With nothing to do
Can we lay right here
In the light of the sun
’Til our stomachs growl
And we have to move” |
All afternoon
With nothing to do
Can we lay right here
In the light of the sun
’Til our stomachs growl
And we have to move” |
In these lines, June captures the intimacy of simply being with someone you care about. The song carries the quiet longing to slow down, pause life, and exist fully in each other’s presence, cherishing those unhurried, tender moments that you want to feel infinite. The chorus pairs delicate guitar strums with her voice, creating a synergy that makes the emotion feel tangible.
By the end of big sigh, June has woven a tender narrative of self-reflection, love, and vulnerability. It’s a quiet but striking collection that proves her gift for turning emotions into timeless songs.
