Wednesday 20 June 2018

New Music: Introducing - Rachel Chinouriri


This is Rachel Chinouriri, a musician who appears to be sitting somewhat uncomfortably on a hedge. Personally I prefer a chair or the floor, and thankfully there are pictures of her sitting on a chair on her Facebook page, so at least we can conclude that she doesn't have some weird shrub seat fetish.

Rachel is a new name to the pages of Breaking More Waves, but a quick click on her Soundcloud will show you that she put an EP out in 2016 which was recorded in her bedroom with a just a cheap microphone and her laptop. It was appropriately called Bedroom Tales and seems to have garnered her a bit of attention with thousands of plays and the likes of Gary Crowley playing her song Weight of the World on BBC Radio London. 

Whilst there’s clearly some emerging talent on the EP, if it had come the way of my in box I probably would have passed on it in terms of featuring it on the blog – it just sounds a little too raw and underdeveloped for my personal tastes.

However, Rachel’s new song is a gorgeous revelation. A beautifully measured piece that glides rather than punches What Have I Ever Done reminds me a little bit of the work of Daughter with its nocturnal atmospherics and hushed stillness. If you want big pop choruses and bangers turn away now, but if you want something to really immerse yourself in, dive in deep.

Living in Croydon (home of the once largest second hand record shop in Europe - Beanos - now RIP) on the outskirts of London, Rachel is the youngest child from a large family that hail from Zimbabwe, although Rachel was born in England. Apparently, her family’s traditional Zimbabwean values sometimes left Rachel feeling isolated and it was from this situation that she found herself delving into writing and recording music. The result here is beguiling to say the least.

Rachel Chinouriri - What Have I Ever Done

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