Sarah Once Was’ sound reflects their origins in the redwoods north of San Francisco and their current urban landscape of smoggy LA sunsets. The artist’s comforting melodies sail sideways against the wind of sliced up rhythm sections, shrieking violins, strummy acoustics, and west coast synths. Sarah McNamara, the non-binary artist behind Sarah Once Was goes by the name “Mac.” Mac attended Mills College in Oakland, trained in audio production at Women’s Audio Mission, and soon after, migrated south to Los Angeles, where they work as a recording engineer, mixing engineer, “producer auteur,” and are on staff with several independent studios (Wiggle World, Universal Hair Farm, etc). 
In 2023, they recorded artists such as Kelsey Lu, Circles Around the Sun and Mikaela Davis. Mac toured as stage manager and tech for Dijon, tour managed Grateful Shred, and opened for Mikaela Davis on a tour.  As artist, recording engineer, and producer, Sarah Once Was collaborates closely with members of Worthitpurchase and artist Chloe Corley to craft folk songs in the quantum vein.
Thumbnail Moon is the third single released by Sarah Once Was, following 2023’s Honest which featured bassist Dan Horne (Circles Around The Sun, Grateful Shred) and earned them a supporting tour slot for Mikaela Davis. Serving as producer and engineer on Thumbnail Moon Sarah Once Was continues to evolve their folk songs crafted in the quantum vein, bringing in new collaborators to provide sliced up rhythm sections, shrieking violins, strummy acoustics, and west coast synths over the artist’s comforting melodies. 

What They Say: “I originally wrote Thumbnail Moon while I was house/dog sitting for my sister in Berkeley, staring out at the fog – it was a new moon and I was just looking for a sliver of new hope. My sister had a Nikki McClure print up with the word “process” on it, which inspired the lyrics of the first verse. I asked my dear friend Seraphina (Perkins) to write a second verse, and her poetry is divine. Omar and Eric (of Worthitpurchase) and I recorded Thumbnail Moon at Universal Hair Farm. The end-of-day result had a momentum and darkness that I loved– but I felt it needed a harsh and high interruption. Initially, I asked Meg Webb to add a violin solo over the instrumental outro, but the emotion in her playing was so evocative that I wanted it to take full spotlight– so I spliced in a bridge section! I love how it lends a suspension of reality.  ” – Mac 

“Adding a verse to this song felt so natural, and there’s voices of both fate and choice woven together and their interplay feels clearer as time goes on. There’s also references to recovering and running ahead, like we almost experience these time lapses when in love and get ahead of ourselves but we can also trust our own timing.” – Seraphina Perkins

“It’s a special thing to work alongside someone with an appreciation for the charm of each moment, and it’s important to find the compositions that will compliment that. We approached the video with initial thoughts of textures and symbols that felt enchanting to us both and went from there. We share the same hometown in Northern California and I wanted to convey an energy that is felt in that area while filming it all in Los Angeles. Thumbnail moon feels like equal parts solitude and playfulness to me, a very meditative track indeed.” – Aja Dewolf Moura (video director)

Thumbnail Moon will be available from 30^th of April. Look Here for more information on Sarah Once Was.