St. Catherine’s Child explores the duality of life in the transcendent “The Other Side Of 25”

Driving acoustic guitar sets the foundation for “The Other Side Of 25” as twangy guitar, buzzing synth, and mid-tempo percussion form the rest of the ethereal soundscape. St. Catherine’s Child, also known as Illana Zsigmond, confidently sends a message to her younger self. “Everybody says that these should be the best days of your life / None of this will matter to you on the other side of 25,” she sings. Take that chip off your shoulder and call home, she says, because life is about to change. With evolving chords and key changes, the honest narrative grounds the single, while the wistful folk soundscape drives it along. Balancing her personal narrative while speaking to life’s wider story, Zsigmond’s new single is a country-tinged dream you can’t shake from your heart.

A powerful ode to life’s growing pains, “The Other Side Of 25” pays tribute to the perspective shift that happens as we engage with inevitable pains, from the loss of deep love to the pain of death. “This song is a letter to my younger self, wrapped up in the things that are important to someone before they’re faced with life and death,” Zsigmond says. “Everything at that moment felt so important, when all that really mattered was my Dad and how he showed up for me, and the people who had my back.”

“The Other Side Of 25” comes just ahead of the release of Zsigmond’s new album This Might Affect You, out on June 15th. A walk through Zsigmond’s experiences before and after losing her father, the record explores different sounds from punk to sea shanties, but vulnerability is a through line throughout the record. Made with the help of 10 other songwriters who also explored a recent loss, the making of the project was a valuable part of the healing process for Zsigmond. "I just didn't think I could manage it by myself. It was just too heavy,” she explains. “I feel so much deeper in my community now because we've all made this thing together."