Sandrayati, Safe Ground Review

Sandrayati is a singer-songwriter born to a Filipino mother and an American father and raised on the islands of Java and Bali. She would tell people about her and her parents’ different heritages. “I would say my mum’s Filipino, my dad’s American, and I’m Indonesian. And people would laugh at that.” Sandrayati is welcoming you into her beautiful world through her gift of music on her debut album, Safe Ground. The ten songs offer a profound and mesmerizing exploration of identity, love, and courage.

Sandrayati’s music is not confined to a singular sound or genre but remains consistent in its connection with nature through Sandrayati’s insightful lyrics. “Petals To The Fear” and “New Dawn” are two examples of this connection.

Sandrayati’s soft, comforting voice is surrounded by folk-influenced guitar picking on “Suara Dunia” and delicate piano on “Vast.” Both are textured with subtle synths, sting sounds, and other electronic elements.

Sandrayati says, “Crafting the songs in this album created a space soft enough to fall into, revealing the intimate pulse of my heart and nourishing the bravery to grow into new earth. As I landed, the songs themselves taught my voice how to nurture this emerging world. Slowly they, along with the many hands of a new community with gratitude to Ólafur Arnalds, created a home for me, hopefully for you: an offering of Safe Ground.”

Overall, Safe Ground offers an intimate journey through the musical perspective of Sandrayati’s relationship to the earth and her inner space. This journey is rich in texture, melodies, and Sandrayati’s angelic voice. That’s the short of it!