I’m not sure if this sentence has ever been spoken before but… have you ever wondered what it would sound like if Allie X recorded a new Kingdom Hearts game soundtrack? Now that I’ve listened to Salt Ashes, I no longer need to ask myself that question.
“Too Many Times” is a delightful slice of cinematic alt pop, served to us with a side of unsettling imagery by way of the music video. Salt Ashes (real name Veiga Sanchez) has such a sweet, comforting vocal tone, you can’t help but feel unsettled when it combines with the moody atmosphere of the music behind it. I swear to you, that pre-chorus moment after she sings “I’ll drink myself into sleep” would match up perfectly with this cinematic trailer moment of Sora falling.
Salt Ashes had this to say about the track:
“The instrumentation of “Too Many Times” reminded me of one of those musical jewelry boxes with a spinning ballerina inside, which is what inspired the doll idea for me. When I was little, I used to imagine those ballerinas had real people stuck inside of them, which got me thinking that that’s what I feel when I’m suffering from intense anxiety… like I’m trapped inside my own head and can’t get out. The reality is that it’s only me that’s trapping myself!
This was one of those videos that I really put guts, blood and tears in. Considering the song is about my anxiety and the moments when I sometimes feel pretty rubbish about myself I thought this would be a great moment to prove (to myself) that I’m not rubbish and I can achieve great things when I just push and don’t give up. So I ended up writing, directing, producing, choreographing and styling the video plus making the doll wig… There were a few tears along the way but I did it and I’m really proud.”
Paige is a writer & creative multi-hyphenate living in Hamilton, Canada. Every band she loves breaks up eventually, but she can't find the witch who cursed her to this life. You can find more of her work on Billboard, Consequence of Sound, A.Side, and Paige Backstage.
