Tamar Berk’s fourth album in just four years, Good Times for a Change, is set to be released on September 6. For those familiar with her previous work, you know that her songs are deeply personal—so much so that listening can feel like peeking into her diary. This raw intimacy is what makes Tamar’s music so special. With each new release, she consistently raises the bar for herself, and this latest album is no exception. In fact, with the bar already set so high, you can’t help but wonder where it will all lead. Tamar shares that same curiosity, and in this exclusive interview with Sweet Sweet Music blog, she explains how she channels that into her creative process.

Your new album, Good Times for a Change, is your fourth record in just four years! It seems like you’re in an incredible creative flow. Do you feel that way, or is it more about putting in the hard work?

Well, I love the hard work and enjoy being in the studio creating songs and coming up with ideas. But, more so, I tend to judge myself pretty harshly on my art. I always think the last song I wrote is the best I’ll ever be, and this mentality pushes me to prove that I can not only do it again but make it better. Also, it seems that when I sit down and write a song, as I start to examine the lyrics, I find that it feels like it’s part of an underlying theme that’s happening in my life at that time. And then this makes me want to explore this theme and go a little deeper, which eventually turns into an album! Haha.

In your bio, you mention that after releasing Tiny Injuries in 2023, you felt like you were slowly emerging from a dark place. Good Impression has such an upbeat, richly arranged vibe—do you see it as a reflection of that brighter time?

Well, the lyrics are kind of a downer, actually, until the end when I finally say, “maybe I just don’t care,” a little homage to The Who’s lyric line, “why should I care,” which in some ways reflects a less desperate time, if that makes sense. This album explores the idea of hovering somewhere between the past and present and just accepting reality and the present moment for what it is. There’s a bit of an existential quality to it, but it’s more about being present. I’ve been struggling with looking back and being anxious about the future. So, it’s not necessarily about brighter days but more about trying not to worry about things I cannot control.

The photos you’ve chosen for your album covers are so intriguing, and it feels like you prefer showing a more vulnerable side of yourself, even this time around. Is that something you’ve been intentional about?

Yes. This was not going to be the album cover, actually. I was looking for another photo of me from my past, but I was taking these self-portraits and used one as a placeholder for the title Good Times for a Change. The look on my face and the title combined had a sort of sense of irony. I thought that worked, but it was a big decision to use a photo of me that wasn’t vintage or old. However, I thought if I’m going to be true to the album theme, it has to be a photo of me today.

Which new song on this album surprised you the most, either in the way it came together or in how it evolved during the process?

I think “Millennium Park.” This is a song that I’ve been carrying around for years and always dreamed of releasing one day. Every time I listened to the raw demo, I imagined timpani, chimes, cello, and viola. I thought that would be impossible, but I swear, once I put that idea out into the world, I seemed to find just the right people to help me! Ben Moore, who is a producer here in San Diego, hooked me up with Erdis Maxhelaku and Nico Hueso, a cello and viola player, respectively. I sent the song with the string arrangement, and it just so happened that Nico was able to score what I had written just by using my stem tracks of the instruments. This was exciting in and of itself, but when the actual tracks came back, I was over the moon! Then my drummer, Matt Walker, found a school where he could record timpani and chimes, and when he sent those back, I was literally crying! After Sean O’Keefe mixed it, I was pinching myself and so thrilled that I would finally be able to release a song I’d been carrying around since 1994!

You’ve been getting so much positive feedback on your music, and it looks like Good Times for a Change is already getting a lot of praise on social media. Do you ever find yourself dreaming of playing in full stadiums?

I would love for more people to hear my music, but I feel like I would thrive in a club size of 500 or more. I like talking to the fans and getting to know them. And speaking of shows, I’m playing a big celebration on September 28th in Chicago at Lincoln Hall! I’m opening for Material Issue, and I’ll be playing a selection of songs from all four of my solo albums. That’s definitely a bucket list item!