You may not have heard of Olivia Elizabeth Basar. That’s okay. You will. The singer-songwriter from central Pennsylvania released her first single in March 2023 and has shared a few more songs since, with “Close to Me” being the latest. Like her previous releases, it’s a guitar-rich treat that echoes the 1960s as channeled through the Paisley Underground, its cross-Atlantic step-kid Britpop, and Aimee Mann.
I’m sure that those influences have been filtered through other voices, other musical heirs, as the years have flipped past faster than I care to admit and my points of reference have faded into semi-obscurity. At the end of the day, however, it doesn’t much matter. In short, “Close to Me” is a melancholic delight that delves into the distance that develops between partners when the relationship nears its end. It’s part pop, part rock, and would’ve been a staple on alternative radio back in the day.
Out if curiosity about her and the song, I reached out to Ms. Basar.
How long have you been making music?
I’ve been singing since I was a kid but I really started experimenting with songwriting a few years ago. I released my first single in 2023.
What inspired “Close to Me”?
So I actually wrote the chorus to the song first which kind of came to me on a whim. It was around the time a relationship was ending and I think I was subconsciously distancing myself. I didn’t end up finishing the song until a few months ago but I’m really happy with the direction it took.
Who plays on the song with you? Who produced?
My producer Tyler Adkins played everything on the song, so a huge shout out to him. He did everything from live drums to the guitar parts and keys. I also had an idea for a sound effect I wanted in the song, which we ended up accomplishing by chopping up my vocals in a weird way to get the desired effect. I really enjoy putting out of the box things like that in a song.
Who are your influences?
There are so many! Broadly speaking, I’m a big fan of Mitski, Samia, Phoebe Bridgers, Kate Davis, Blondshell, and so many more. For this song specifically I was drawing a lot of inspiration from The Beaches and early 2000s sounding pop/rock. I’ve also really been into Talker’s music lately, who I actually found on Threads.
The Old Grey Cat 