On "persona non grata," Aditi Babel explores that emotional contradiction, delivering a somber indie-pop song about the hard work of leaving a harmful dynamic. The central metaphor is the Great Basin desert, America's largest cold desert, and it uses images that seem out of place to mirror the discomfort of leaving a relationship that once meant something.
The notion of ice in a desert and salt in a lake work against one another, giving the song's idea a very different emotional basis. "These contradictions point to a world where old expectations are of no use, like the odd and disturbing feelings that can accompany separation. Babel acknowledges how hard it is to accept that a relationship is over. The melancholic direction suits that mood and keeps the emotional weight front and center.
The bridge adds another layer to the song's emotional arc, with a piano waltz and images of happier times. The difference between revisiting good memories and choosing to walk away is that a relationship can have real happiness even if the overall dynamic is unhealthy. Babel wrote and performed the track, and long-time co-producer Jay Jacobs co-produced, mixed, and mastered it. She is creatively involved in everything, from writing to the song's final presentation. "persona non grata" eventually hits the hard ground of remembering what was good and knowing when to move on.
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