Girl Next Door Explores Connection on 'If Dance Floors Were Silent'

A slick spoken word song about urban loneliness

The moniker of acclaimed singer, songwriter, and producer Sarah Carton, Girl Next Door hasn't always been based in the big city.

Hailing from the small town of Bishop's Stortford, the shift to life in London hit Carton hard, and while she fell in love with the capital's vibrant nightlife scene, found herself lonely at times, searching for conection. 'If Dance Floors Were Silent' is the result of that experience. A searching spoken word piece set against a minimal electronic production, on the new single, Carton questions, "would people still kiss on them / take risks on them / press lips on them?"

The track was recorded and produced with Erik Miles (Soft Play, Baby Dave, and Kate Nash), and mastered by Kevin Tuffy, and moves from a pared-back electronic soundscape on the verse to swirling synths and atmospheric piano on the melodic chorus, with Carton's vocals reminiscent of Lily Allen.

Carton explains: “I wrote ‘If Dance Floors Were Silent’ when I first moved to London. I was going out a lot and fell in love with London’s club scene and nightlife. Growing up in a small town, it was a really dramatic lifestyle change for me and even though I loved London I also found it really lonely."