Paige Su Turns Two Decades of Memory Into The Best of the Worst of Times

Paige Su is no stranger to using music as a way of making sense of the more challenging parts of life, with her previous work already showcasing how closely tied her songwriting is to memory, illness, love and the way those experiences linger with a person over time.On The Best of the Worst of Times, she takes that approach further by pondering on twenty years worth of songs and memories, bringing older material into an album that looks at how different those moments can feel when revisited in the present. Co-produced in Los Angeles with Benjamin Lazar Davis, the album also highlights how Paige Su has been more open to outside collaboration while still remaining heavily involved in the music through her vocals, harp, flute, piano, synthesizers and drum programming. This gives the overall album a mix of alternative rock, folk, dream-pop and electronic touches that gives each song its unique character while keeping the album closely associated with the memories driving each track.

That combination of older and newer materials can be heard in the album's lead song "Every Second's A Treasure" which first started out as being a harp-and-flute demo around a decade ago before Paige Su revisited the song while working with Benjamin Lazar Davis. During the recording process, the two kept the image of a video game, a jet ski and glittering water in mind, with the song starting out with softer folk elements before more layered dream-pop harmonies came into the fold. Later, the song brings in Cody Byassee's drums which gives the second half of the track a more restless feel that Paige herself has said is one of her favorite parts of the record. "The Best of the Worst of Times" takes on a different direction since the song starts out with light acoustic strums, textured guitar and a more restrained vocal performance before lighter rhythmic details and backing vocals come into the song. Written in 2020 while Paige was undergoing treatment for breast cancer following her diagnosis at the end of 2019, the track looks back on that period with more distance and focuses on the memories that stayed with her. Paige has also described 2020 as being one of the worst periods of her life, but also one that included time spent with friends, on camping trips and a slower pace that she later came to appreciate. That contrast also connects with the album's title, since the memories she once associated with such a difficult period are now also tied to some of the moments she values most from that time.

That contrast becomes more visible through songs like "Repeated Stories" which focuses more on the art-rock side of the album as electric guitar and buzzy bass can be heard before the chorus becomes fuller around the lyrics "we are living in repeated stories". Paige Su has said that she wanted some of the electricity associated with St. Vincent in the song to come through in the use of sharper guitar work without diverting listeners’ attention away from the melody. "Letting Go and (Getting Let Go)" looks in a softer direction as it starts out a guitar instrumentation sound by Benjamin Lazar Davis with Paige's vocals coming in as hums over the melody before Tim Davis worked on the lyrics. The final result is a combination of acoustic instrumentation, harmony and chamber-folk elements that matches the song's focus on highlighting the difference between choosing to let go and realizing that someone else may already be in the process of letting you go.

"Thank You Life" then brings the album back to a place of further reflection since Paige Su begins to focus more on the ordinary details of everyday life like a rattan chair, a coffee stain, and a birthday, using those smaller moments to show how memories can make seemingly simple things in life feel much more significant over time. The song also incorporates the use of softer acoustic instrumentation and piano to make sure those details remain at the forefront, while Paige has also explained that the track came to be from a place of "very, very deep darkness" before she could eventually begin to write from a place of gratitude. That's why "Thank You Life" fits perfectly as a way to bring the record to a close since the track looks at appreciation without separating it from difficult experiences that came before. Across The Best of the Worst of Times, that same idea can be heard in the way Paige Su constantly revisits older songs, memories and varied periods of her life without trying to present them as leaning towards being fully good or bad, giving the album meaning through everything that exists between those two extremes.

Check out the album below and you can keep up with Paige on Instagram here.