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secondhandnewsradio · 2 years

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SHN Interview: Charlie Bennett

by Claire Silverman

photo: Ruth Bennett

Charlie Bennett is an independent musical artist from England. They write, record, and produce from their bedroom, and has gained a dedicated fanbase of listeners through social media. SHN host Claire caught up with Charlie via Zoom to discuss his career so far, his new single “Polka Dot Socks,” and what’s coming next.

CS: It’s so nice to finally sit down and chat with you. I really like your music and what you’ve been doing recently.

CB: Thank you so much.

CS: How did you get started in music, especially writing, recording, producing, releasing your own songs?

CB: My first instrument was drums, I started playing when I was 10 because there was this local drum teacher going around. Most of the ways I've learned how to play music has been by ear. I started actually writing music at 16, mostly through watching films, like Sing Street, which is about an Irish band in the 80s, and Begin Again with Mark Ruffalo. Films about music were a very big part of it, I really liked seeing the creative process.

CS: So what is your own creative process like when you're writing a song?

CB: Every single song I've written has been a personal thing. There’s always elements of my life scattered within them, “Is This Falling?” being a very good example of that. From a methodical perspective, I always start with chords first. I have loads of these little leather journals that I use and I've started a very big one recently, so I can really draw across the page which is nice, because I'm a very scruffy writer. After I have the cords, then I go to my journals and start improvising lyrics over the chords. I always find the music comes a lot more naturally first, than trying to fit lyrics around the music comes second.

CS: I’m curious as to who your musical influences are? Is there a specific band or an album that has impacted you a lot?

CB: My music tastes have changed a lot since I started writing back in 2016. I was very much into My Chemical Romance and much more rock music back then, whereas now I'd say one of the biggest artists that changed my taste in music was Rusty Clanton. His music has a lot of acoustic elements and all my music has been very acoustic based. Right now, my influences are probably beabadoobee and Oscar Lang, both artists from the UK who are doing great right now, and I admire their entire discographies. They've both gone from acoustic sounds from when they were collaborating together throughout 2018 to now where they both have full-fledged bands playing festivals. They are very big influences on me because I really admire their musical taste and the fact that they’re geographically similar to me.

CS: I definitely can see their influences in your writing. Speaking of collaborations, how did “Jam on Neptune” with tinyumbrellas come about?

CB: So tinyumbrellas and I found each other from having our music placed on the same playlist. My song “Is This Falling?” was alongside one of her songs called “Stardust.” tinyumbrellas reached out to me that they really liked my song, and then we basically hinted at the fact that we should collab in the future. About a month later during the winter lockdown in England in January [2021] we jumped on a Zoom call and it all happened in one afternoon. During that first call when we met, we wrote and started to produce the song all over Zoom. I was mixing it on my Mac, and on calls every week, we’d work on it. It wasn't until the start of April when the lockdown lifted slightly, that we were able to actually meet in person and then play the song live. It was it was a very interesting process over Zoom, and I'd really like to do that again. I think if anything good came out of a lockdown, it's been the fact that that we've found so many better ways of communicating with each other when we're not face to face.

CS: This past October you had your first show in London, how was that experience?

CB: It was really interesting. The first thing I noticed was how cool the venue was. It was in Shoreditch in London, and had all these archways and you could hear the trains going above you. It was the first time I'd really done anything on that scale, getting to experience that kind of crowd and atmosphere. My previous performances had been much more lowkey and calm, and the crowd at the London show was really hyped up. It was just really, really fun.

CS: Do you have plans for more shows in the future? Or are restrictions because of the pandemic still impeding that?

CB: I've definitely got stuff on the cards, a couple of promoters have reached out to me. But again, it's still very much up in the air. I'm applying to do some festivals, hopefully later in the year, but we'll see how that goes.

CS: I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you for those festivals.

CB: Thank you!

CS: Your most recent song, “Polka Dot Socks” is out now and it seems like your listeners really love it. What was the writing process for that song like? What kind of sparked it?

CB: It was a few months after “Jam on Neptune” had come out, and I was in a big writer's block slump. I just sat down with my guitar and decided I wasn’t going to put any pressure on myself to do anything. I’d been listening to a lot of “DIY” songs on Soundcloud at the time — I like getting inspiration from those kinds of songs more than ones that have been fully produced, they’re more useful because they’re more raw. I had some chord progression ideas in my head and I came away from that session with the line “you’ve stolen all my shoes” and then “polka dot socks” as a clothing item stuck with me, because it’s so specific. I started writing what became “Polka Dot Socks” in the summer, and then it was in the back of my mind, for about five months. In December I posted a snippet of it on TikTok, and it did really well, so that motivated me to finish it, and then within about a month I released it.

CS: I have to ask, do you own a pair of polka dot socks?

CB: I do. I do. I'm gonna make sure they don't get stolen.

CS: One last question, do you have any upcoming news you can share with SHN readers?

CB: I've been working for ages to figure out and solidify my sound, and I think I've kind of reached that point, especially with “Is This Falling?” and “Polka Dot Socks.” I feel like I’m now in my stride. I'm working on a new song at the minute that’s going to be one that you can probably shout in your car if you want to. So I think it's a nice transition. And I have a live version of “Polka Dot Socks” coming out very soon!

CS: I look forward to hearing both of those, that sounds really exciting! I want to wish you good luck on everything, and I hope no one steals your polka dot socks.

CB: Thank you very much!

#second hand news #shn radio #college radio #radio #charlie bennett #polka dot socks #tinyumbrellas #jam on neptune #rusty clanton #beabadoobee #oscar lang

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secondhandnewsradio · 2 years

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Looking for new music to listen to? Here are a few recently released songs by Seeing Double, Julianna Joy, and The Linda Lindas, to help you start your week off on the right note, as well as the new album from Mitski, “Laurel Hell” 💗

#second hand news #shn radio #college radio #radio #mitski #seeing double #julianna joy #the linda lindas

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secondhandnewsradio · 2 years

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Our playlist from 2/4/22 is archived on our Spotify page so if you missed the show, or want to go find one of the songs, you can click the link in our bio for easy access. We won’t be on air during our normal time slot next week so stay tuned and keep an eye on SHN socials for an announcement 🤎

#second hand news #shn radio #college radio #radio #spotify #spotify playlist

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secondhandnewsradio · 2 years

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Fleetwood Mac’s iconic album Rumours turns 45 years old today, 2/4/2022 🎉

SHN Radio is named for the first track on Rumours, Second Hand News, and we start off every broadcast with the song.

#second hand news #shn radio #college radio #radio #fleetwood mac #rumours

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secondhandnewsradio · 2 years

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Looking for new music to listen to? The playlist from SHN’s broadcast on 1/28/22 is archived on Spotify full of new music and available whenever you want. Follow the link in our bio to listen.

#second hand news #shn radio #spotify #college radio #spotify playlist

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secondhandnewsradio · 2 years

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It’s been a little over a week since Greta Isaac released NUH UH, the lead single from her upcoming EP “I Think You’d Hate It Here” Since performing the track at her headline show at the Omeara in London in October, SHN has been highly anticipating the release. Isaac’s powerhouse vocals and genre-bending concepts are stunning, and she’s definitely one to watch. Her upcoming EP will be released on April 1st.

#second hand news #shn radio #college radio #greta isaac #NUH UH #spotify

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secondhandnewsradio · 2 years

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The SHN show from 1/21/22 is now available as an archived playlist on SHN’s Spotify page. Go listen now 🤎

#second hand news #shn radio #spotify #college radio #spotify playlist

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secondhandnewsradio · 2 years

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SHN’s first playlist of the year is archived on our Spotify page, available to listen anytime, anywhere 🧡

#Second Hand News #shnradio #college radio #spotify #spotify playlist

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secondhandnewsradio · 2 years

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SHN IS BACK ON AIR

After months off from live shows, we’re happy to say that SHN is getting back on the airwaves this week! If you’ve been tuning in for a while, you might notice we’re back to our Friday 11am-1pm time slot, and we couldn’t be happier about it. Make sure to listen in to WDCE 90.1FM tomorrow to catch SHN’s first broadcast of 2022 💗

#Second Hand News #SHN radio #college radio #music #radio #radioshow

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secondhandnewsradio · 2 years

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A Friendly Reminder: keep wearing your masks and listening to good music 😷

Head over to our Spotify page to listen to our newest playlist (link)

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secondhandnewsradio · 3 years

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You may have noticed from our interview with Sleep Walking Animals a few weeks ago, but SHN host Claire is in London! While she’s abroad, so is SHN and you can listen to Quest Radio on Mondays at 3pm BST to hear SHN’s broadcasts. It feels great to be back on the air 💗

#Second Hand News #SHN radio #announcement #college radio #london #london england #SHN abroad

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secondhandnewsradio · 3 years

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Happy Birthday Charlie Bennett!

To celebrate, you should head on over to his Spotify and listen to his songs today. “Is This Falling?” And “Jam on Neptune” are SHN favorites 💗

#Second Hand News #SHN radio #Charlie Bennett #spotify #playlist #music #indie music #bedroom pop

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secondhandnewsradio · 3 years

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SHN INTERVIEW: Sleep Walking Animals

by Claire Silverman

photo: Ryan Hall

Sleep Walking Animals, the indie-folk alternative rock band from Manchester, England, have just released their self-titled debut EP. Since SHN first interviewed the band at the start of the year, they have released two more singles, started playing live shows again as restrictions opened up, and have announced a co-headlining tour around the UK in October. At their EP launch gig at the Fiddler’s Elbow in Camden on the 20th of September, they performed their new music to a sold out crowd.

CS: Congrats on the EP coming out. When we spoke back in February, you mentioned your plans for the EP, so it’s very exciting that it’s here now. How are you all feeling?

Tom: Like it's about time.

Jack: “Angus’ Fool.” “Wild Folk,” and “Dance Laura Dance” are on the EP, so we started recording this EP in October 2019. So it's been a big process, and the EP is kind of about that process.

Tom: We didn't want to release things until we were happy with everything, because we did record enough songs back in 2019 to go on an EP. But in post [production], we were a little bit concerned that they weren't all up to the standard that we wanted. It was our first time in a studio together as well when we recorded those songs, so we needed to practice, we needed to get together more and get more experienced in the studio. Then we ended up going up to Stockport and using a studio called Green Velvet Studios and we laid down five tracks, three of which are on the EP.

Jack: So, yes, excited.

photo: Ryan Hall

CS: Is there an overarching theme across the EP?

Tom: It feels like it's very much about things that have happened to us in the time it took to put the EP together, and things that have inspired us enough to write about, you know, various introductions to people, to new experiences, illnesses, life events that sparked something within us to try to make a good song out of.

Jack: The whole EP spans across when we started the band in 2018 right up to now, so a lot of the songs are about growth and change. But the songs are about our growth musically as well, which is a nice kind of coincidence.

Tom: “Angus’ Fool” was the first song we ever wrote together, so the EP spans from our first song together to things we were writing in lockdown. So like Jack said it’s a span of two and a half years.

Alex: “Native” was written after we played Farm Fest [this summer].

CS: So now that you have more music out and have started to establish your sound, how did you figure out what genre of music you wanted to make?

Alex: It's funny, you just mentioned “Native” and I think that was the point that pushed us to fatten up the sound a little bit. I mean, the style of the song made us realize that we can push it a little bit more. And we have a few like one recorded songs, which are definitely a lot more rock-y.

Tom: We're inspired by all sorts of different bands as well. And, you hear it said a lot but a lot of great artists steal from other great artists and that's how they become great, so we're taking influences from people that we all listen to. So this is why it's hard whenever anybody asks “so what kind of genre of music do you play?” I can never really answer that because it’s changing all the time.

Jack: But I was saying to Bill the other day, (he's not officially in the band yet but he kind of is. He's the drummer who played with us on Monday) we've never really spoken about what genre we want to write. We didn't speak about influences, particularly.

Tom: We're just going with ideas. We all have our own little pockets of interest that we bring to the table and I think that’s what makes out sound quite unique

Alex: When someone brings something and then all of a sudden there's so many layers on top of it, which are coming from all kinds of different directions. And it's just hard to put your finger on what it actually is. But it's cool and we like it.

photo: Ryan Hall

CS: It seems as though COVID restrictions are kind of mostly lifted here in England. At least, concerts are happening again. What's that been like, through the pandemic till now, and being able to play live shows again?

Tom: It’s been a massive relief, really, it means that we can get out there and get some gigging experience, start playing our stuff live. It's a completely different beast to be in the studio, it’s a completely different skill to have. And the more we do it, the more we’ll improve, and the more people will respond well to our gigs. There is such a massive impact from a live gig that you don't get from sitting down and putting your headphones in and listening to the Spotify track. You get the performance, you get the live engagement with music, and with the people on stage. That's just palpable.

CS: Since you're all performers, you're all actors, how do you think your other stage experience impacts your music?

Jack: That's an interesting one. Because I think the three of us are definitely coming out of acting and want to follow music, solely. Obviously, Tom, you both really well. [Laughter] And Nuwan’s also still following both. It's just something that when we are playing live, and it's going well, and there aren’t any technical issues, that we can just give ourselves completely to that moment. And I think that's easier for someone who has trained to do that, which is kind of what we did at drama school, I guess, to give yourself to the moment,

Tom: Yeah, there are great artists and performers, actors, musicians who haven't haven't gone through a formal training process. I think it's actually more important than training. Personally, I find the two things very different, being onstage as a member of Sleep Walking Animals and being on stage or on screen and being an actor in a role. I think the only similarity for me really, is the fact that when we go on stage as Sleep Walking Animals, I feel myself put on a character. I'm not Tom, I’m whatever else that is.

Jack: John. [Laughter]

Tom: I think we all do that whether we realize it or not. Because we'd be crippled with anxiety and insecurity and all the other horrid things that sort of flood into you when you're onstage performing in any way, you know, those don't happen or they sort of diminish if you put on that guise. So I guess that helps in that sort of transition.

photo: Claire Silverman

CS: You mentioned Farm Fest a bit earlier. What was it and how did it come about? And how was it?

Tom: So Farm Fest is a new, upstart festival that myself and my girlfriend Lottie host and organized. It's on her childhood farm and it's something that Lottie had wanted to do for a long time, to use that land to provide a space for a festival, entertainment, camping. We started it a couple years ago. There was that little bit of time between lockdowns where we got a weird freedom in the summer of 2020 and people felt like it had kind of gone away. Luckily, we all collectively know a bunch of musicians and comedians. It started small and then this year, we did it again. We charged a bit more money for tickets, and we are getting bigger and better. It feels like it's sort of gaining a bit of momentum. And it was the highlight of our year, we got to perform on a mainstage with a great sound set up. For us it was a big crowd to play to who all knew the songs and were singing along. It felt like a real festival, right.

CS: You guys are pretty active on social media, at least on the Sleep Walking Animals account. You guys don't always take things super seriously, which I like. What’s your approach to using social media? What do you think of it?

Jack: I wish we didn't have to. I think we probably all do realize the importance of it because Instagram is pretty much the only way of promoting anything, which is so fucking sad. Yeah. And I thought today, because Joe and I are reading a book about Joy Division and the start of the punk scene stuff, and they didn't even have t-shirts, because they wanted to stick it to the man and that kind of thing. But you just can't do that now. It's just like times have changed and there’s so many bands and so many artists that you have to be on it. Like, it will only be a matter of time before we go on to TikTok.

Tom: As an unsigned band without management or label yet, you know, we're left to do it on our own. Like Jack said, it's our only way of letting people know about our music. We might as well try and enjoy it if we've got to do it.

photo: Ryan Hall

CS: Now that the EP is out, what are your future plans for the band?

Tom: World domination?

Joe: Recording.

Tom: Yeah, more tunes. We've got quite a few unrecorded ones. Keep doing what we're doing, really, following the footsteps of the people and bands and artists who have inspired us. Just keep going with it and see what happens. We're not putting immense amounts of pressure on ourselves. We do it because we love it. We do it because we think our music is worth pursuing. Yeah. Just see where the wind takes us.

CS: And you've got a tour coming up in October.

Jack: Yeah, a UK tour. It’s a co-headlining tour with Polary and My Pet Fauxes. So we're playing in different cities and we're all sharing the headlines slot and supporting each other at the different venues.

Tom: The 17th of October we're playing Leeds at Oporto, then on the 18th at Dublin Castle in London, the 19th we’re in Bristol at Crofters Rights and then the 20th at Night & Day in Manchester.

CS: Good luck for those shows and again, congratulations on releasing your debut EP.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Listen to Sleep Walking Animals’ debut EP here

Follow the band on Instagram Twitter Spotify YouTube

sleepwalkinganimals.com

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secondhandnewsradio · 3 years

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New Music Out Now 9/24/21

Sleep Walking Animals - EP by Sleep Walking Animals

Sonder - EP by Matilda Mann

I’ll Be Waiting (feat. Aquilo) - Single by Mathilda Homer

All I Need to Get By - Single by VANT

putting a spin on good 4 u - Single by egg

Easy Going - Single by Kacy Hill

Bechdel Test- Single by Isabel Pless

these words are all for you - Album by Wrabel

A Beginner’s Mind - Album by Sufjan Stevens, Angelo de Augustine

#Second Hand News #shn radio #new music #NEW MUSIC OUT NOW #new album #new release #new ep #sleep walking animals #matilda mann #mathilda homer #VANT #egg #kacy hill #isabel pless #wrabel #Sufjan Stevens #angelo de augustine

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secondhandnewsradio · 3 years

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SHN INTERVIEW: Mia Giovina

by Claire Silverman

Originally from New Jersey, 20-year-old singer-songwriter Mia Giovina is taking the internet by storm! Using her platform to share her message and incredible vocals, Mia is dedicated to having her music create a safe space for listeners everywhere. In March, Mia released her debut single "Sirens" and recently released her second single "Time Machine,” both of which have been featured in SHN playlists and on the air.

CS: Hi Mia! I just wanted to start off by saying I think you're really killing it, and I've been loving the music you've been putting out.

MG: Thank you.

CS: So how did you get started in music? How did you know that this was the direction you wanted to go?

MG: As cheesy as it sounds, music has always been something that I love, and I knew I wanted to do it as a career. My freshman year of high school was really when I started to take it seriously. I started performing at coffee shops and writing my own music, and I taught myself piano and guitar. After high school, I decided to do music full time instead of going into college. I'm very lucky that I get to do music full time now and I wouldn't have it any other way.

CS: I think it's amazing that you're going down a different path than the people around you at school. I always love hearing about people who are pursuing their art and are thriving. I'm happy for you that it’s working out. Earlier in the year, you released your first single “Sirens” and went from posting covers on Instagram to having original music out for everyone to listen to. What was your process like for writing that song and choosing it to be your first release?

MG: When I first connected with my manager, Tori, in the summer of last year, one of the first conversations we had was “when is original music going to come out?” I didn't have anything I wanted to put out yet. I didn't want to write or create or put out a song just to do it because I had this platform now. When I wrote “Sirens,” and I posted it on TikTok, so many people seemed to resonate with it and love it. It all felt like it happened at the perfect time. Something I've learned so far through my career is to trust your intuition and instincts, which was definitely the situation with “Sirens.” I faced a lot of bumps in the road during the production of this song, which looking back makes more sense because this was my first song ever. Everything that could have possibly gone wrong went wrong, but eventually, we finished the song and it turned out to be everything I could have dreamed up and more.

photo: Tori Sokalski

CS: Well, it’s a great song and I’m glad you got there in the end. Your other song that you have out now is “Time Machine,” which I absolutely love. It's stuck in my head all the time. Was the writing and production experience a bit different than your first song?

MG: Yeah, definitely. I think in comparison to the release of “Sirens,” “Time Machine” was just a piece of cake. I got to work with this band called Sleeping Lion with Nate and Noah. They reached out to me and originally we were actually working on a different song. Basically right after I wrote “Time Machine,” I sent them the voice memo. It was very different, getting to work with producers that are super collaborative and reliable. It took a little bit of pressure off my shoulders. I think with “Time Machine” in general, from the writing of the song to the production to the cover art and release, everything kind of fell into place, which was a super refreshing feeling after “Sirens.”

CS: I love the cover art for “Time Machine.” Who made it? What was the artistic connection to the song?

MG: I reached out to one of my good friends, Missy Pavorsky. I had this idea that I wanted the cover art to be me looking into a mirror and have the reflection be a picture of my younger self. I took some self-timer pictures to try to get an idea of what I wanted it to look like. Missy is a photographer and she came over, and we tried a couple different ways of taking the photo. It was a really collaborative process, and like I said before, even with the cover art, everything just fell into place, which was really cool.

CS: You said earlier that you've kind of been doing music your whole life. Who are your musical influences? Do you have a singer or band that you think has influenced you the most?

MG: Yeah, I think that Taylor Swift has always been my biggest influence. Lyrically and sonically she's so smart. She's definitely been my biggest influence since I was about six years old. I also started listening to Phoebe Bridgers and Lizzie McAlpine probably a little over a year ago and I think that they really changed the game for me, songwriting-wise. I also love Harry Styles, I think he kind of changed the way I look at and create music, because he is somebody who doesn't necessarily keep himself in a box, in terms of genre. I think that that's what I try to do now, even if it's just like posting something on TikTok. I try to share music with the world because I'm passionate about it, and I'm proud of it, not because I think it'll get a lot of streams or a lot of views.

CS: Nice. Some of my absolute favorites as well. You’ve mentioned TikTok a bit, and I know that’s been a pretty big resource for you and your career. What do you think about TikTok? And what has TikTok done for you in terms of your music career?

MG: I talk about this with other musicians and my manager all the time. I think TikTok completely runs the music industry right now. If a song is going viral on TikTok, it's most likely going to be climbing the charts, which is so crazy. So it's definitely like a machine. I have to give TikTok a lot of the credit for where I am today. I probably wouldn't be sitting here doing this interview if it weren't for TikTok. The platform has opened so many doors for me and connected me with so many amazing musicians and connected me with my manager, Tori, and has given me such a great platform and amazing supporters. Sometimes I have to step away from the app, though. I think that because the app is so powerful, sometimes you can get really caught up in the super unhealthy cycle of chasing views or a viral video. That is a really dangerous thing to do to yourself mentally, especially for a musician. I think it's really important that you share music for yourself first, and for the viewer second. I think that once I start chasing views and followers, it doesn't feel as fulfilling for me. So yeah, there's definitely a love/hate relationship with TikTok. It's amazing and powerful, but it's definitely a little bit dangerous.

photo: Tori Sokalski

CS: I totally agree with everything you just said. I’m curious, what music have you been listening to recently?

MG: I just recently made a new playlist with the songs that I'm going to be listening to for the next few months. Right now I'm really loving Catie Turner's EP Heartbroken and Milking It, it's so good. Every single song on the EP is incredible.

CS: Now one last question, do you have any news you can share of any exciting things coming up in the near future?

MG: I'm gonna be starting work on my third single very soon. I have no idea when it will be released. But I am going to start working on it soon. So I'm very excited for that.

CS: I'm excited to hear it when it comes out! Thank you so much for sitting down with me today to chat about your music. I'm really excited to see what you do next in the industry.

MG: Thank you so much!

Listen to Time Machine here

Follow Mia Giovina on Instagram Twitter Spotify TikTok

#Second Hand News #shn radio #shn interview #mia giovina #sirens #time machine #taylor swift #Harry Styles #catie turner #Phoebe Bridgers #sleeping lion #tiktok #new artist #music #college radio #vhmgmt #vh management

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secondhandnewsradio · 3 years

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New Music Out Now 9/13/21

If You Were On Fire - EP by Mathilda Homer

THIS IS NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE! - Album by ella jane

Angel Baby - Single by Troye Sivan

Get You Down - Single by Sam Fender

SOMEBODY ELSE - Single by Maddie Regent

Silk Chiffon (feat. Phoebe Bridgers) - Single by MUNA

10 Steps - Single by Christian Leave

Snowplow - Single by Runnner, Skullcrusher

Vices - Single by Sarah and the Sundays

How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? - Album by Big Red Machine

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secondhandnewsradio · 3 years

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SHN INTERVIEW: Rachel Bochner

by Claire Silverman

Rachel Bochner is a singer/songwriter based in New York City. Her career in the music industry began with an A&R internship at a record label, and it was there that she realized her true passion for creating and sharing her own music. Her passion lies in making pop music that resonates with people through the good, the bad, the lighthearted, and the heavy.

CS: Congrats on the release of your song “hating myself in the summer!”

RB: Thank you so much!

CS: The song feels like a song that so many people, especially young girls, can relate to a lot. What initially prompted you to write this song?

RB: I actually started writing this song back in October, so it wasn't written in the summertime. But the phrase in the chorus ��I'm tired of hitting myself in the summer” is kind of what sparked the song as a whole. And like you said, it's something that a lot of people, especially young women can relate to. I think it's just something that I have always struggled with for as long as I can remember. There are periods in my life where I noticed, at events or seasons, that I'm feeling particularly self-conscious, and summer is definitely one of those times. There’s this push and pull of “I want to be enjoying myself, and I just want to exist and not be worrying about this,” but there's also a pressure that “okay, my friends are all going to the beach, and I don't love how I'm looking in this bathing suit, and now that's consuming my mind,” and it's a really exhausting thing to worry about. Also as I've gotten older, it’s become so much more apparent that it's not something that actually matters, and it's not something that I should be basing my worth on. So the song is about coming to that realization.

CS: One thing I like about this song is that it's you and yourself, but also it’s you speaking to a lot of people. I appreciate that this song is a pop song, and it's a really good pop song, but it's not about a love story, which is something I really like. I've noticed this type of theme in some of your other songs too. Could you tell me a bit about what kind of messages are you interested in writing about, and what's important to you and your songwriting overall?

RB: It's funny that you say that because this song is on a project that is a collection of songs that are all not love songs. I think, for this project, I wanted it to be exactly that — my thought process and things that I'm feeling and what I'm going through but not really about another person. I do love a love song, and I love the last EP that I put out that had this story of one relationship not working out and like coming into a new one that feels better and more authentic. So I felt like I got that off my chest for a bit. I started with “how am I feeling?: And “what are the things that I am struggling with?” And what are things that I think that other people who are around my age, so high school through mid to late 20s, can relate to? I love being able to write something that feels really personal to me, but when someone listens to it, they might have a completely different life experience and still be able to place themselves in that song.

photo: Sasha Bellentine

CS: Who are the artists that you feel have really influenced you and your songwriting?

RB: I am definitely influenced by a lot of different artists. Some longer-term inspirations for me are Julia Michaels, Maggie Rogers, and Lana Del Rey. I think Julia Michaels’ writing is the kind of pop music that I am really drawn to, where sonically it’s a bop, but lyrically, you can read into it and it’s a thought-provoking song. Recently I've really been loving Conan Gray. Also, Sasha Sloane is great. I always feel overwhelmed when I'm asked this question because I feel like I need to list everyone. And I also love Taylor Swift. She consistently blows my mind.

CS: I love that. One of the coolest things that I’ve noticed from speaking with female artists around our age is that literally almost every single one of them has been deeply influenced by Taylor Swift. She has really helped create this next generation of songwriters. It's so cool.

RB: And I also love Lorde so much, but I feel like people always kind of name Lorde as their inspiration.

photo: Alex Lyon

CS: So how did you get started in the industry? What made you realize that music was what you wanted to pursue?

RB: I have always loved music. I've always been a singer, for as long as I can remember. But I didn't really start writing and working on my own music until later on. I think part of that was being a little bit afraid of failure. The part of me that wanted to do that got overshadowed by the part of me that was afraid of being bad at it. But I actually started seriously writing during the summer of 2018, which is weirdly recent. For a while, I thought I wanted to work at a label, so I interned at a record label that summer of 2018. I was doing A&R and was listening to new music every single day and looking for new artists. That’s when it clicked for me that I loved writing and I wanted to be sharing my own music. From that point on, I've been focusing on finding my network of people to be making music.

CS: As I was getting ready for this interview, I was listening to your EP 2 AM again, and I wanted to ask you about that EP as well, specifically, your song Ultraviolet. What was the story behind that song?

RB: Ultraviolet was written at the end of last summer, so we were deep in COVID times. From not being able to see people and just having so much time to sit with my own thoughts, I started to understand things about myself that I hadn't previously ever even thought about. I needed an outlet for thinking about that and processing the questions and realizations I was having about my sexuality. Naturally, I wrote a song about it. It created this space for me to explore everything that I was thinking about given the circumstances.

CS: You mentioned earlier with that EP that there was a big emphasis on the storytelling aspect of your songs. Can you talk a little bit about that, and, and the process of that EP, and putting out an EP in a time where playing concerts can’t be a part of a release.

RB: Since I started releasing music right before COVID, I’ve never really lived in a world where playing shows is a part of the release strategy. I'm excited for that to be a thing. In terms of the storytelling, the songs on the EP weren't actually written in the order that they appear on the tracklist. Afterwards, I figured out how they made sense to me, which was fun. Something I like to do in my writing is pull from experiences and emotions that I have personally felt, but also using fiction and applying an emotion that I have actually experienced and I can speak to, but in a different situation. I think as a songwriter it is really important to be able to open yourself up beyond what you've experienced firsthand, and still be able to make it sound genuine and have it resonate with people.

CS: Do you have any news you can share with us? Any exciting things coming up in the future?

RB: Definitely. I have new music on the way [Rachel’s new single “ghosted my therapist” is out now]. I won't say too much, but there's a little easter egg in the music video for “hating myself in the summer.” It's cryptic, but it'll make sense eventually.

CS: Is this the Taylor Swift fan in you putting easter eggs in your videos?

RB: Oh 100% yes.

CS: Can you give us a few recommendations to end with? What are the songs you've been listening to recently?

RB: Conan Gray recently put out a song called “People Watching” and it's so good, it was co-written by Julia Michaels as well, and she’s one of my favorites. There's a song that I literally cannot stop playing and it destroys me emotionally but I am obsessed with it. It's called “I Can't Wait to Be British” by Carol Ades. If you're looking for a song to cry to, that's a really good one. I’ve also been listening to a lot of JP Saxe lately. I'm actively not sad, but I love listening to sad music right now.

CS: It was really nice to meet you, and I'm looking forward to hearing your new music!

RB: Thank you!

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