Los Angeles-based artist Sam Zalta has recently released There Will Be Pain, There’s Beauty Here, an album documenting his intense three-year performance-art experiment. In this time, Zalta intertwined music with acts of physical endurance and self-infliction. As audiences became increasingly drawn to the spectacle rather than the songs themselves, Zalta was left confronting deeper questions about art, validation, and the desire to be seen. The record captures that journey and all its contradictions, preserving the pain, beauty, love, and disillusionment that ultimately brought the project to an end.
“I Might Die Tonight” was released as a single and showcases a synth-pop sound that feels like a late-night drive. Knowing the story behind the album, the lyrics take on a new meaning, reading as reflections on performance rather than simply a vague sense of foreboding. Tracks like “The Beautiful Lady Shows No Mercy” highlight the romantic undertones that run throughout much of the record. Several songs are dedicated to Adeline, the pseudonym of Zalta’s partner and creative collaborator. “Conquered” captures some of the artistic highs of the project, while “Oh, Adeline” reflects on many of its emotional lows.
There Will Be Pain, There’s Beauty Here is a document of unique artistic undertaking. Even without the live performances that inspired it, the album stands as a reflection on love, sacrifice, and the complicated pursuit of recognition. The title says it all: where there’s beauty, there’s destined to be some pain.
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