Albertine Sarges revels in obsession on “Stand Near Your Fire”

Sometimes you meet someone new and instantly want to be their best friend. Maybe it’s their style, their smile, or their generally unthreatening vibe, but something about this person makes you so drawn to them you can’t let them go. How do you let them know you want to spend all your time with them without seeming weirdly obsessed? Just ask Albertine Sarges.

Continuing to build off of her breakout 2021 LP The Sticky Fingers, Berlin’s Albertine Sarges has traveled every which way with her sound in the last three years. She’s gone for slowed grooves paired with nature motifs on 2022’s Family of Things EP, piano renditions of previous synth-heavy bops (“Free Today (Piano Version)”), and bluesy downtempo funk jams on her single “Friendship” that dropped in May.

Not giving anyone a chance to pin her down, Sarges has pivoted to the opposite end of her sonic spectrum with her latest track “Stand Near Your Fire.” It’s a crunchy blow-out of synthy distortion countered by Sarges’ crisp vocals, sharing what it’s like to be invigorated by a new connection with someone. The track kicks off with thick guitar riffs and a catchy bassline that enter like a jolt to the system, giving listeners a similarly exhilarating feeling as meeting someone you don’t want to let go of. The combination of the chorus’ climbing synths, the guitar tangents in the second verse, and the double tracked vocals adds an infectious energy that makes this the perfect song to jump around to with your besties. “Stand Near Your Fire” is jazzy dance-pop meets video game soundtrack in the best, most entrancing possible way.

Where the music itself is bright and uplifting, Sarges hides a story of existential doubt and confusion in the opening verses. She describes a colorless life of missed opportunities with lyrics like “I was swimming in a dark sea,” and “I walked past my destiny / What a waste.” There’s a clear turning point at the end of the first verse with the line “but luckily we met,” which catapults listeners through the rush of meeting someone that you’d change your habits to be more like (“Since I met you I’m vegan”), and who makes you feel fully comfortable as yourself (“Dance like nobody’s watching”).

Sarges says “Stand Near Your Fire” “contains the silly happiness of meeting someone you really adore and who brings out the best in you.” And silly it is. One of the most relatable things about the track is its lack of seriousness. Closing lines “Oh my god, you’re so lush!” and “Let me stand near your fire! / Let me roast all my squash! / Let me wiggle my greens! / Spinach!” add even more levity to the track, showing the uninhibited joy this connection brings Sarges to the point where it becomes endearingly nonsensical and lighthearted.