Introducing… Scarlet Rae

New York-based indie rock artist Scarlet Rae brings together elements of shoegaze gloom and ethereal vocals. I’d seen Scarlet’s voice described as Elven previously, and I get where they are coming from. If Elves made sadcore shoegaze with indie pop beats, Scarlet Rae would be their sound. She reminds me of the very best of the late 90s / early 2000s version of indie rock when whispery, quiet vocals drowned in walls of guitars ruled the alternative charts. It’s equal parts nostalgic and affecting.

Scarlet Rae’s new single is titled ‘The Reason I Could Sleep Forever’ and it encompasses all of that in an incredibly catchy, fuzzy single. I could listen to this on repeat for ages and feel comforted by the numbness of it all. It marks the announcement of her forthcoming EP ‘No Heavy Goodbyes’, which deals with mental health and trying not to burn out. It follows her previous single ‘Bleu’, which was written to deal with the loss of her late sibling. Now, with that backdrop of grief, sometimes she wonders about disappearing herself. Writing about those feelings in an honest way, without romanticising them, is incredibly tricky. Scarlet says about the song:

“This song comes from the weird quiet place where you’re not exactly okay, but not giving up either. It’s about being emotionally and physically depleted, questioning everything, and realizing how much we really are our own worst enemy. The first verse walks you through sorta a spiritual confusion I was experiencing around the idea of the afterlife. I’d light candles and stare directly into them, desperately trying to get some sort of connection through the flame, then instantly switch into like an atheist mindset, feeling so confused on what’s real or not.

There’s definitely a directness in this song, but it’s not necessarily a surrender. I understand the temptation to disappear, but I would never do that to the people I love. The song lives in that sorta limbo.

I want to be honest about understanding the temptation to disappear, without romanticizing it.”

The single ‘The Reason I Could Sleep Forever’ is out now, with a music video to accompany the release. The EP ‘No Heavy Goodbyes’ is due for release on 19th September. For more information about Scarlet Rae, follow her on Instagram.

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