Guest Room Sessions: The Sweater Set, ‘Hostage’

The Sweater Set's Guest Room Sessions performance cuts through the clutter -- literally. The duo and special guest Nicole Saphos, a Washington, DC-based jazz bassist and songwriter, sing from inside a kid's playpen, a funny sight that adds a bit of levity.

It's amusing to see Saphos' upright bass perched amid a tiny toy piano and and bright pink Minnie Mouse chairs. Even sweeter is watching one of Sweater Set member Maureen Andary's twin daughters, Grace, toddle around during the performance and add a bit of melody with her banana-shaped shaker and pint-sized keys.

""Hostage" is about the romance of a codependent relationship ... We played the song here because, as parents, sometimes we feel like hostages to our kids, and sometimes the kids feel like hostages to us, especially when they’re behind bars like this!" explains, who comprises the Sweater Set with Sara Curtin. "So this goes out to all the babies and parents out there!"

"Hostage" comes from the Sweater Set's newest album, Fly on the Wall. Released in May, the all-new project was recorded in early 2018 in front of a 50-person live audience, at Tonal Park recording studio in Takoma Park, Md.

“It was a beautiful way to celebrate our friendship,” says Andary, “and most importantly, it wasn’t just a show -- it was a recording of brand new works and a commitment between us to keep going.”

The Sweater Set formed in 2008, but Andary and Curtin have been performing together since the mid-1990s, when they were singing together in church. Visit TheSweaterSet.com for more.