It’s not often that I enter a stranger’s van, but that’s exactly what I did on the night of October 30, 2025, when I met Sydney Sprague in Hamtramck, Mich.
I chatted with Sprague before her headlining show at the Sanctuary Detroit. The Phoenix indie rocker is on the road promoting her third studio album, Peak Experience, released in September. The record is relatively short for an LP, clocking in at just under 21 minutes across eight tracks.
However, Peak Experience is all killer, no filler — continuing Sprague’s commitment to quality over quantity that her previous two albums, 2021’s maybe i will see you at the end of the world and 2023’s somebody in hell loves you, displayed. Peak Experience track “Flat Circle” was even named song of the year by acclaimed producer and Death Cab For Cutie co-founder Chris Walla — a surreal moment for Sprague since she credits Death Cab as one of her major musical influences.
Listen: Sydney Sprague talks new album, Chris Walla praise, Tim Robinson + more
soty. beautifully written, beautifully made
— chris walla, snacks the rabbit (@calculizer.bsky.social) June 25, 2025 at 5:54 PM
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“I’ve talked about it like literally every day for 20 years — I’m like obsessed with Chris Walla,” Sprague said. “I’m obsessed with his production. Death Cab [For Cutie] is maybe my primary influence. And so yeah, getting that endorsement was crazy.”
What has changed between Peak Experience and Sprague’s previous two albums is that the former is her first independent release for a full-length record. The “Fair Field” singer signed with Italy-based Rude Records in 2020, who released maybe i will see you at the end of the world and somebody in hell loves you. The label dropped Sprague after the release of her second LP, but that setback resulted in more creative freedom when producing Peak Experience.
“It’s been a lot more work, a lot more credit card debt — but also on the plus side, just like complete freedom to do whatever I want,” Sprague explained. “So we didn’t have to talk to anybody about any part of the process. We decided to self-produce it, which was a big choice, and we didn’t have to get anybody’s approval for that. We got to do whatever we wanted with the art and the videos, and just being able to…really play with all of that stuff was worth the extra struggle.”
Listen to the entire interview using the media player above, where we also talk about Sydney Sprague’s love for Tim Robinson, who “the girl from Rochester, Michigan” is and more.
Sydney Sprague’s third studio album Peak Experience is available now.
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