The term ‘pop’ music is such a sweeping term, and if you’re like me, it could be like a bad word to some. Pop music tends to split off into 2 camps – manufactured artists with a relentless, zombie-like hunger to make money, and those with actual music chops. Elaine Rasnake‘s unique brand of indie-pop is a true testament of an artist in the latter camp.

 

The Philly artist’s latest release Breathe Again is an impressive effort proving Rasnake is definitely an artist to watch. From beginning to end, this record is full of chill songs with hauntingly beautiful vocals and some mild experimentation with various instruments and styles. The record never strays away from its indie-pop roots, producing two of my favorite songs “Spaceship” and the hauntingly beautiful “Untitled” which have incredibly catchy chorus hooks that are sure to get stuck in your head for days. Then there are songs like “End of the Night” that builds up throughout the song, killing you softly as it ends, and “3am” which incorporates a strong drum machine and synth sounds to help create a bit of a fuller sound. As a whole, the album reminded me of a similar, favorite record of mine “Bomb In a Birdcage” by A Fine Frenzy.

Rasnake filled me in a bit on what inspired the record – “During the two years of writing this album, I was going through a lot of major life changes. I was still living at home and finding the courage to move out, I was in the process of quitting a restaurant job that I had held for 9 years, and I was finally making friends again and growing a healthy romantic relationship. This album was a way for me to work out my feelings of frustration and happiness that I had been experiencing as I stepped into a completely new chapter of my life. I was finding a way to move past feeling scared and hopeless in a big city and instead, becoming bolder and taking more risks in order to achieve the goals I had set for myself but was always too scared to face.”

She went on to describe her writing process for most of the tracks on Breathe Again,  “consists of listening to instrumental music and writing a lot of lyrical and diary entry style poetry until I return to it months later to try to decode it into a functional song.” This is demonstrated clearly with each song having a bit of depth and life of its own. And with only 8 songs, it clocks in at what feels like the perfect length, rising gently only to crescendo and fall back with the stripped down closing titular track. 

Recently, Resnake released a really fun music video for the song “End of the Night” which is nearing 1,000 views – Let’s help her get there! And Resnake has a slew of dates for her “Feels On Wheels” tour alongside fellow artist Kate Dressed Up throughout June beginning in Ambler, PA 6/14. They have dates throughout PA, NJ, MA and NYC so be sure to support them, check them out and grab your own copy of Breathe Again.

For fans of and inspired by The Postal Service, Sufjan Stevens, Owl City, Phoebe Bridgers, and Waxahatchee. Breathe Again can be heard on Rasnake’s Spotify and Bandcamp pages, and be sure to keep an eye on her Youtube channel and Facebook for more.

Website: https://elainerasnake.com/