Wrestling With the Inner Saboteur: Lisa SQ’s “Make It Up to You” Explores Chaos and Redemption

Do you struggle with self-sabotage? Are you addicted to the drama of personal turmoil? In her buoyant yet bittersweet new single, “Make It Up to You,” Hamilton-based indie rock artist Lisa SQ wrestles with the inner saboteur, the irresistible urge to blow things up, and the hope that there’s still time to repair the mess left behind.

“Make It Up to You” is duking it out with your inner saboteur. “Make It Up to You” is resisting the urge to push the red button. “Make It Up to You” is touching the hot stove, even when you know better. “Make It Up to You” is groveling. “Make It Up to You” is digging out of a deep hole. “Make It Up to You” is one final shot.

From the very first notes, the song captures a delicate tension between lightness and turbulence. Recorded live at Toronto’s Dwaynespace with a trusted circle of collaborators, the track opens with the sunniest of guitar riffs from Dave Dalrymple (Wax Atlantic) and a playful body-percussion loop by Adam Hindle (Dwayne Gretzky) – created from couch slaps and self-smacks – before erupting into a full-band groove driven by Michael Brushy’s (Dwayne Gretzky) explosive drums. Nintendo-like keyboards courtesy of Simeon Abbott and shimmering autoharp textures from Adam Hindle add layers of whimsy, while producer Ian Docherty (July Talk) ran everything through tape to imbue the track with just the right touch of drunken floatiness.

The sonic palette mirrors the song’s lyrical exploration of self-sabotage: bright, engaging melodies that hide the bittersweet undertow of regret, longing, and the hope for repair. There’s an immediacy to the live recording, a sense that Lisa SQ and her bandmates are discovering the song in real time, inviting listeners into that fragile, intimate space.

The inspiration behind “Make It Up to You” is as human and relatable as its sound. Lisa SQ drew from the real-life stories of her porch-sitting neighbour, whose chaotic yet resilient approach to life sparked reflection on why some people seem to invite disaster and flourish in it at the same time. “Tyler Kyte (Dwayne Gretzky) and I were talking about people who always invite drama into their lives, and I kept picturing these classic tragic heroes, doomed but relatable,” Lisa explains. “The song grew out of that and my own pacing, daydreaming, and writing in the attic.”

Her lyrical honesty is matched by musical playfulness, creating a tension that draws listeners in. It’s easy to imagine someone hearing the bright, almost mischievous guitar lines and autoharp shimmer and thinking the song is carefree, only to be pulled into a deeper contemplation of personal patterns of self-sabotage. Lisa SQ’s voice, clear and warm, navigates this duality effortlessly, giving weight to every admission of regret while retaining a sense of hope and resolve.

“Make It Up to You” is ultimately about the tension between destruction and repair, between the thrill of chaos and the yearning for stability. It’s a song for anyone who has felt themselves drawn to their own undoing and wondered whether there’s a way back. The repeated refrain—“Make it up to you”—serves as both a promise and a plea, an acknowledgment that mistakes are made but that redemption is still within reach if one can summon the courage to act.

By blending incisive storytelling, playful instrumentation, and a live recording energy that feels intimate and immediate, Lisa SQ has created a track that is both deeply personal and widely relatable. In a musical landscape that often prioritizes perfection and polish, “Make It Up to You” is a reminder that vulnerability, imperfection, and the messy human experience can yield some of the most compelling art.

With this single, Lisa SQ invites listeners to confront their own inner saboteurs, to laugh, cringe, and ultimately feel that one final shot at making things right is always possible. It’s a song about mistakes, resilience, and the hope that even in our self-inflicted chaos, we can find a way forward.