Artist: Rachel Bobbit
Album: The Half We Still Have
Toronto-based artist Rachel Bobbit has released her new EP The Half We Still Have. The album is available for streaming anywhere you get your music.
Rachel (vocals and lead guitar) is joined on The Half We Still Have by friend Justice Der on guitar and e-bow, Stephen Bennett on drums/percussion, Isaac Teague on bass, Sam Laramee on synth, and Alex George on strings.
Rachel got her start on Vine as a teenager, uploading covers of pop hits and all-time classics until Vine shut down. She eventually found herself in school taking a jazz program, but ultimately left during the pandemic to focus on her own music.
Of the album, Rachel says, “I wanted these songs to reflect the intense dynamics that take shape in relationships. I’ve found in some relationships, you give and give, only to eventually lose yourself in the process. In those moments where we feel abandoned and hollow, a small sliver remains intact, preserved, and personal.”
The Half We Still Have is four tracks: Two Bit; Marion; The Call’s Inside The House; and Clay Feet. The songs “Two Bit” and “Clay Feet” have music videos available on YouTube.
Rachel’s sound reminds me very much of The Cranberries—incorporating elements of indie, rock, and pop rock. Rachel’s vocals even have slight tones of Irish folk. In All four songs are slow, dreamy, and ethereal. Rachel’s voice is gorgeous, reminding me of Dolores O’Riordan (The Cranberries), Kate Bush, and Lana Del Ray.
The music video for “Two Bit” depicts Rachel looking sad and vacant going about a day at home—vacuuming, washing dishes, folding laundry, and playing guitar on her bed. According to Rachel, the song is about rationalizing an unhealthy relationship dynamic. Anyone who would love to go back in time and give their younger selves a hug will relate to this song, with lyrics like, “Fumbling nights/Seventeen, that’s right/I was a baby/What you called a misunderstanding/Gave way to a canyon/Of what if nights/Looking back with a four-year gap/I want to hold her”.
The music video for “Clay Feet” depicts Rachel looking like a literal mystical fairy queen in a field of flowers. She gets her hair braided, plays guitar, looks in a mirror, and looks through holes in hanging laundry. It’s nonsensical, aesthetic, and beautiful. According to Rachel, “Clay Feet” describes a love that is all consuming and desperate. With lyrics like, “I’d make you my girlfriend boyfriend lover/Put you on a chair and let you hover/Decorate your feet and mouth with syrup/When you ask to climb back down I’ll stretch up”.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Half We Still Have.
