Erin Rae – Lighten Up

Hailing from “music city” – Nashville, Tennessee – singer-songwriter Erin Rae has country music in her blood. After two critically-acclaimed albums, she comes in strong with her newest record, Lighten Up. While its chill, country-cum-indie-folk sound brings a welcome wash of summer into this dark February, Rae could go further in experimenting with her sound and lyrics.

True to its name, Lighten Up is brighter than its predecessors and opens with an upbeat ska beat and some deliciously mysterious chords in the track Candy + Curry. It all feels like a summery, picnic jam session in the park, with a joint and a punnet of strawberries being passed round. Rae recorded the album in a converted monastery, and her website explains that it is inspired by the production techniques of the Beatles and other 1960s artists. This comes through strongly: tracks like True Love’s Face and Candy + Curry, both previously released as singles, have a lovely, classic sound.

The artist’s lyrics are often poetic and hint at themes or stories. California Belongs to You is like a folk tale with its lyrics (“Before shell or sea or sand / Before salty air or suntan / It was a year ago today / You were showing me the way”), but some of her writing is a bit bland. Songs like Can’t See Stars and Modern Woman (previously released as a single) deal with interesting political issues, but somehow skim over the top and fall into clichés.

Having said that, there is something compelling about the anti-folk vibe that Rae creates. It is hard not to compare her with artists like Joni Mitchell and even Regina Spektor, though with a more laidback indie sound. The track Gonna Be Strange even recalls an Elvis ballad. Admittedly, a lot of the singer’s music is a bit homogenous, and sits comfortably within country or indie-folk, but she does dip her toes into new areas. The final track Undone, for instance, is very different to the others, with stripped-down instrumentation, a drone and twirls in the melody – a bit like some Indian music styles.

Overall, Lighten Up is the perfect album to accompany a soak in the bath with a cocktail, dreaming of summer, but it could go further in pushing musical boundaries. There is some experimentation, but Rae could do more to shake things up.

Ella Satin

Lighten Up is released on 4^th February 2022. For further information or to order the album visit Erin Rae’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Can’t See Stars here: