Sadie Dupuis collaborates with Tracy Bonham on Modern Burdens
90’s rock icon Tracy Bonham has gathered some unlikely collaborators for a new reworking of her 1996 debut album The Burdens of Being Upright, and Philly’s own Sadie Dupuis — of Speedy Ortiz and Sad13 — is in the mix. The upcoming album Modern Burdens is set to feature “radically different versions” of the 21-year-old songs recorded by women artists chosen by Bonham, and Dupuis’ contribution, a new version of “The Real,” lives up to the promise.
Dupuis brings her signature psychedelic synth-pop flair — the style her Sad13 solo project is known for — to the recording, her unmistakable vocals mirroring Bonham’s originals (the two artists have been compared in the past). The new version adds a fresh twist to the ’96 classic in a way that gives a nod to the Bonham of days past while taking the song in an unexpected but welcome direction.
Other voices featured on Modern Burdens include The New Pornographers‘ Kathryn Calder, Letters to Cleo‘s Kay Hanley, Rachael Yamagata and more.
Modern Burdens is out now. The album’s Oct. 11 release intentionally aligns with the International Day of the Girl — more than just a reimagination of old songs, it’s an empowering collection of some of the most inspiring women artists of generations past and present. You can catch Dupuis when Speedy Ortiz opens for Tera Melos Nov. 3 at the Fillmore — find more info on that show here.
Listen to “The Real” below.