Peyton’s “To Spare” finds the humor in devastating rejection

The Houston-based Stones Throw signee finds fun in sadness.

July 25, 2019
Peyton’s “To Spare” finds the humor in devastating rejection Breyona Holt

Have you ever been rejected in a manner so chaotically, distressingly bad that all you can really do is laugh? Houston-based musician Peyton knows that feeling well — of misreading a situation so badly that it ends in a manner that’s almost farcical. It’s tricky to pin down that mix of devastation and humor, but in her new single “To Spare” — premiering today on The FADER — the young singer-songwriter strikes that perfect balance between open-hearted naivety and winking cynicism. In keeping with that emotional vein, the video for “To Spare” finds Peyton poking fun at her own devastation — deadpanning straight to the camera under a makeshift waterfall, fake boo-hooing, and striking out in a game of baseball. Speaking to The FADER via email, Peyton had the following to say about “To Spare”:

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"This song is not about me crying over some guy. I relate this song to any hopeful moment I've had that turns bad, but in the end it’s just funny. It is somewhat playful so I wanted that to read in the video. Everyone can relate to "to spare" because we have all had a moment where we had so much excitement for something and felt a strong sense of confidence that things will go the way we plan them but they don’t. Even though you’ll pick yourself back up, you might have a moment of slight devastation. This is a song I wrote in 15-20 min before my shift when I worked at Banana Republic in The Galleria in Houston last year. The words just came out with ease. When things happen like that, you know it’s meant to be. I’m so happy to have teamed up with Asa Davis (ASADVS) to create this and so happy to be sharing this with the world."

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Watch “To Spare” below.

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Peyton’s “To Spare” finds the humor in devastating rejection