RAYE releases her new album “This Music May Contain Hope” – we were there at the prelistening and reveal what distinguishes the record from “21st Century Blues”.
On March 27th, singer RAYE will release her new album “This Music May Contain Hope”. She even won a Grammy with her last record – can her new work keep up?
A week before the release we were at the prelistening and were able to listen to the new songs once. These five insights about the new RAYE album stayed with us after listening to it once.
What can happen in a year
RAYE depicts a whole year on the album – from autumn to winter and spring to summer. Each season has its own little act.
Starting with autumn: The gray atmosphere is introduced with the ballad “I Will Overcome”, followed by two songs about encounters with men who display behavior that is self-centered and even sexually harassing. That sounds exactly like what autumn usually feels like – wetness, the hope for a person who can make you feel like you’re not alone in the gloomy season, and ultimately disappointment.
This is followed by winter – and with it a certain amount of cold. “Winter Woman” is reminiscent of “Escapism” from the last album, which conveyed a similar detachment. The classic background music in “Click Clack Symphony” can definitely be combined with Christmas.
But winter is also coming to an end. With spring comes the return of short clothing – and the body dysmorphia that is socialized into almost every girl from an early age. RAYE packages this directly into the songs “I Hate the Way I Look Today” and “Skin and Bones”. Of course, the spring fever isn’t missing either: the hope for love returns, but it doesn’t last long in “Nightingale Lane” – because the love story comes to an end again on that same street.
Then it’s time for summer. The hit “Where Is My Husband”, which went viral last September, naturally fits in perfectly. RAYE ultimately finds happiness in her family – but unfortunately none of the songs have what it takes to be a really good summer hit.
Creating sound worlds
RAYE manages to paint a picture in front of her listeners’ eyes like no other. The entire album feels like an immersion in a narrative about RAYE’s last year – with all the ups and downs.
With the intro “Girl Under the Gray Cloud” she catapults her listeners straight into her own world. You feel like you are in the role of the woman walking alone through London at night in the pouring rain. At the same time, the songs create an atmosphere of theater or musical: After the song “WhatsApp Shakespeare” the first of the four seasons’ acts is completed, and you can feel the curtain falling and this chapter closing. In any case, the urge to applaud during the prelistening was there.
With “Fields” you literally run across sunny fields and feel like a child again, while to the house beats of “Life Boat” you see a small lifeboat fighting for survival on the sea in your mind’s eye. RAYE further reinforces this synesthesia through her monologues and short song intros.
Contrary to expectations
However, the songs don’t always sound as expected. “Skin and Bones” and “I Know You’re Hurting” initially suggested slow, serious ballads. But RAYE knows how to approach topics such as self-harm and body dysmorphia with a ray of hope: instead of a sad ballad, strong funk and rock elements can be heard. The seriousness of the topics is not lost – which is why “Skin and Bones” is considered a favorite on the record by many first-time listeners.
Family affiliation
With this album, the singer shows how close she is to her family – and that she is not the only one with musical talent. Whether her two sisters or her grandparents: everyone got their share of the album. This underlines how closely connected RAYE is to her family – after all, she is also managed by her father, as are her sisters Absolutely and Amma, who also make a guest appearance in the song “Joy”.
The track is about finding happiness again – which RAYE and her sisters undoubtedly succeed in doing. In “Fields,” the artist immerses her listeners in an almost complete conversation with her grandfather and provides insight into personal, familiar dialogues. Her grandma also gets a small cameo in “Where Is My Husband,” in which she expectantly asks her granddaughter about her dating and life plans. Family is clearly a high priority at RAYE.
Don’t give up hope
This is as clear as the fact that the singer remains true to her themes. She already addressed serious topics in “21st Century Blues” – from sexual abuse to drugs and body image to self-doubt and heartbreak. The new album keeps up thematically in every respect.
RAYE tried out more musically this time and tried more genres – with success. It presents a mix of musical genres that hardly anyone else dares to pack into a single album: from R&B pop tracks to jazz and classical orchestral accompaniment by Hans Zimmer to rave and house elements.
With her album, the Briton has proven that the title “This Music May Contain Hope” is justified. Because she gives herself and her listeners hope throughout – whether it’s about self-love, romantic love or familial love. She always manages to build up hope, which sometimes disappears a little, but never completely.
The new work definitely has the potential to build something up on a dreary day – and at the same time inspire self-reflection.
