St. Vincent says she'd "probably be dead" if she didn't play music

Annie Clark has been making music professionally for nearly two decades, and during a recent interview with BBC, she confessed that it's saved her life.

“I’d probably be dead,” she said when asked how her life would be different if she never found that outlet. “Dead literally or dead inside.”

“I mean, no,” she continued after a pause. “I’m sure I would have had more fortitude and figured something out. But let me just say I’m very glad. I’m very lucky that I get to play music for a living.”

On Friday (May 14), Clark released Daddy's Home, her seventh studio album as St. Vincent. The new collection of songs sees her making a "tectonic shift " from her signature art rock sound, opting for something more gritty and '70s influenced.

“Daddy’s Home collects stories of being down and out in downtown NYC," she explained in a statement when first announcing the album. "Last night’s heels on the morning train. Glamour that’s been up for three days straight.”

Clark co-produced the album with Jack Antonoff, who also worked with her on 2017's MASSEDUCTION.

"I was in Electric Lady Studios in New York and wanted to do this sleazy, grimy record and Jack was fully on board,” she recalled about the recording process. “He whipped out some great Wurlitzer playing, super funky, then he’d get on the drums and do totally the right vibe. And then he was playing this f**king awesome bass, ripping it.”

“It was cool to get to see Jack bust out these chops," she continued. "And same here, I actually have some deep understanding of harmony that I keep to myself most of the time but here I bust it out.”