It’s long been known that one of the many secret weapons in Boston electronic-pop group Radclyffe Hall has been keyboardist Jaqui Rae Stewart. But the multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, who performs her solo business as RAINE, crashed our playlists on her own terms last year in “My Dreams”, a breezy, ethereal single that was a frequent spin on VanyaRadio.
Now, RAINE’s solo efforts hit overdrive, as she prepares her debut EP (out in October and also titled My Dreams) with a blissful new alt-pop single titled “Not The Same”. It showcases her ability to craft delicate-but-weighty dream-pop, spanning a complex range of modern beats and rhythms through featherweight songwriting that cradles and advances with ease. “Not The Same”, which like her upcoming record was produced jointly by Mark Schwartz (protégé of Joel Hamilton) and Sam Burke (Clifflight, Radclyffe Hall), is a warm slice of organic, skyward pop, with a rightful place alongside recent tracks from Shura and Verite.
“My Dreams draws heavily from nature,” says RAINE, whose musical moniker derives from the word Moraine — the deposits of rock and soil left behind by a glacier. “I was raised on a small island in the Pacific Northwest. Growing up I spent a lot of time in the woods, or listening to the ocean, and thinking about things like love, death, and purpose. I tried to capture that time in these songs.”
As for “Not The Same”, RAINE tells Vanyaland that the track “speaks against the stigma that if you’re not in a serious relationship, you’re doing something wrong,” she says. “It’s about how you can feel real love and bliss out at night dancing in a stranger’s arms.”
That night could be this evening, when RAINE appears at Pianos in New York City for the single’s official release party. Joining her on the Lysten Boston bill (!!!) are Radclyffe Hall, No Swoon, and Dark Color. Details on the flyer after the Soundcloud jump.
