Sabby Swag is Having a “White Trash Summer”

Nashville-based artist Sabby is channeling her upbringing this summer with her ethereal and soul-searching release “White Trash Summer”

PHOTOS BY GRACE BRASWELL

Seeing Sabrina Niedbalski and her band of wonderfully wild and witchy women perform live in their ethereal, new-alt ensemble “Sabby Swag” is an experience that’s so grounding, some would even call it spiritual. So much so, a friend and I looked at each other teary-eyed in the middle of their set at OG Basement in Nashville a few months ago– truly taken aback emotionally by the pull of Niedbalski’s sentimental lyricism and featherweight vocals. 

Niedbalski, who goes by her artist name Sabby, is joined on stage at shows by her girl band ensemble, nicknamed “Swag,” consisting of Lula Baldriche (drums), Liz Newkirk (bass), BookNOTbrooke (cello) and Sofie Pedersen (synth). Together, they play their live performances as “Sabby Swag,” although Niedbalski only goes by the name “Sabby” on streaming platforms. 

With deep ties to the hills of rural Ohio, Niedbalski makes music for girls who grew up dreaming. Her music feels like the backseat of your mom’s car, hand sticking out the rolled-down windows and the scent of stale cigarettes lingering in the warm June carseat leather. She captures girlhood in a way that’s calm and comforting, like a cardigan on a coathanger or old friends on the playground. We don’t grow out of ourselves, we grow into who we’re supposed to be, and Niedbalski channels that growth with strength and dignity through her lyricism. 

“A big quest of my 20s was trying to be beyond my roots and do all these things past it,” Neidbalski told Pleaser, sitting underneath the metal awning of OG Basement to shield from the steady rainfall outside. 

“Once I started connecting to this reality I was created in, the true atmosphere and the true things that are happening in my world, there was a deep part of my inner child that became influenced by the way I actually feel about things. I grew up pretty much in poverty, like in a trailer park. I always wanted to escape that. But then I realized that’s literally where I’m from. And I channeled those feelings through my music.”

When writing songs with titles like “Midwest Sunken Feeling” and “White Trash Summer,” Niedbalski uses her upbringing as a way to reach into herself and discover more about who she is, both in her music and how she shows up in the world. With “White Trash Summer” being her second single under the project “Sabby”, Niedbalski offers a vibrantly unique soundscape to the Nashville music scene. The track, which was released earlier this month on July 3, is an indie-alt anthem that fits themes of Southern Gothic trailblazers like Ethel Cain and Lana Del Rey. 

“One thing I learned growing up in ‘white trash’ is that nobody cares,” Neidbalski told Pleaser. “It’s not about perception, or looking a certain way, or being a certain way. It’s the kind of place where anything goes. It’s carefree, like we don’t care what people think about us.” 

Almost as if she’s channeling something deep within her, the Midwest songsmith’s rhythmic word placement and soft yet sturdy vocal drone puts listeners in a state that’s almost meditative. An easy, electric guitar strum starts off “White Trash Summer,” constantly building sound and sonic texture as synths, slow rhythmic percussion and layered voices create ambience as she sings the words, “We don’t have to have to think about what we think about it / Lawn chairs and ash trays need our bodies / Light show in the sky / Suncatchers in our eyes / Worshiping it all.” 

Sabby Swag is a band that offers sonic space to heal. In the beginning of a lot of her sets, Neidbalski will sit cross-legged on the floor of the stage, Crystal Singing Bowl on the floor in front of her, leading the crowd in a meditation before her performance. 

“I feel like meditation is the most important thing to me artistically,” she said. “It helps me to create a world where I can hear myself. Artistically, I want to get into more transient, ambient sets. We’re just starting, but I’m really excited. I want eclectic soundscapes and meditation to be embedded into my art, because I feel like that brings it back to the root of my songs. Music is a power, and it’s alchemy.” 

 It’s easy to get lost in Sabby’s unique and emotion-driven vocals. Her latest release, “White Trash Summer,” is equally as telling about her upbringing and outlook on life as it is her spiritual presence on this earth.