Ruth Radelet – 7th Level Music

Review: Ruth Radelet – The Other Side

Written over the course of two years of turmoil, during which, among other things, she experienced the deaths of her father and of a friend, and the end of a relationship, Ruth Radelet‘s The Other Side EP has her emerging from shadows cast by bright southern California suns and the weight of grief to step forward into whatever the next moment will bring.

“Stranger” is a love letter / confession to Los Angeles, and how, according to Radelet’s liner notes, “…[it’s] about the feeling of always being on the outside looking in, of the city never fully opening its doors for me.” It brings to mind lonely midnight drives through brightly lit places jammed with people that still feel empty and hollow. Radelet’s lovely, haunting voice is perfect for a track like this, as are the soft, melancholy string instruments throughout it.

“Sometimes” is about the death of Radelet’s friend, and how she wishes she could go back in time, have a proper send-off for her or just wish the day away altogether. I’ve been there, Ms. Radelet. I’m still there in some ways. I hope this song doesn’t affect you, as that probably means you haven’t yet experienced a serious loss, but you’ll come back to this song when you need it.

“Is it easy to start over?” Radelet asks on “Crimes” – a song about how achieving success sometimes causes you to forget who you were before you were a success – and how sometimes that life was better and easier. It shimmers with synths and shoegaze guitar around Radelet’s hypnotizing vocals.

“Be Careful” is a song about treading carefully when it comes to finding new love after loss. The electro-percussion and bass in it almost sound backwards, like the rhythms propelling the song forward are taking two steps forward and one step back…much like Radelet in her lyrics (“I’m afraid of your touch. I might need you too much. What will it cost? Have I already lost?”).

The closer, “Youth,” is about Radelet looking back on her life after she meets a lover younger than her. She’s envious over how life hasn’t yet jaded him, and wonders about that time in her life. This is a bit difficult for me to fathom, as Radelet seems ageless in every photo I’ve seen of her or when I saw her live with her former band, The Chromatics. She’s susceptible to the same nostalgia and regret as all of us are, however, and her vocals are a soft ode to simpler times.

It’s a lovely EP from one of the loveliest voices in music for the last couple decades. It sticks with you after it’s done and one that you’ll float back to whenever you need it.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Yuri at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Don’t be a “Stranger” to Ruth Radelet’s new single.

Today, Los Angeles-based artist Ruth Radelet announces her debut EP, The Other Side, out October 7th. Today, she presents its lead single/video, the cinematic ballad “Stranger.” Best known for fronting the influential and beloved group Chromatics, Ruth solidifies her next chapter as a solo artist with The Other Side. Written over the course of two years and recorded with friend and producer Filip Nikolic (formerly of Poolside), The Other Side showcases Radelet’s timeless voice and classic take on songwriting.

Following the single “Crimes,” “her ethereal and poignant debut” (Gorilla vs. Bear), “Stranger” is a love letter to LA. The stark black-and-white video, directed by James Manson and shot on 16mm Kodak film by Freddie Whitman, features Ruth exploring the city alone. “Stranger” is about a specific kind of loneliness that I have only felt in Los Angeles. Although the song is very much about longing, it’s more about a place than a person,” she elaborates. “The lyric ‘I could never hold you in my hands’ is about the feeling of always being on the outside looking in, of the city never fully opening its doors to me.”

Watch Ruth Radelet’s Video for “Stranger”

Exploring themes of love, death, and rebirth, “The Other Side represents a side of my personality as an artist that most people haven’t seen until now,” explains Radelet. “It also represents my coming out the other side of a traumatic experience, gathering what I could from ‘Before’ and figuring out how to exist ‘After.’ This record was forged in the fire of a transformative two-year period during which I lost almost everything, including my father who was a huge influence on me. Most of the songs were written just before I was caught up in a storm of big changes, and they were all finished just as life started to feel sweet again. It feels right to share some of the last chapter before moving into the next, and though it’s a melancholy record, for me The Other Side is a step into a bigger and brighter future.”

Radelet is a singer, songwriter, and musician with diverse influences ranging from Joni Mitchell to Frank Ocean. She has been performing and releasing music for over a decade since joining Chromatics in 2006 for their acclaimed album Night Drive released the following year. Chromatics’ music and aesthetic has notably been used in numerous films, television series, and fashion shows. The band appeared on screen in multiple episodes of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: The Return while Radelet was recently featured on a Chromatics’ 2020 remix of the Weeknd’s #1 hit single, “Blinding Lights.”

Listen to “Crimes”

The Other Side Tracklist
1. Stranger
2. Sometimes
3. Crimes
4. Be Careful
5. Youth

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t be a stranger to the subscription box, either.]

[Thanks to Yuri at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Ruth Radelet confesses “Crimes” on her new single.

Today, Los Angeles-based artist Ruth Radelet releases her debut original single, “Crimes.” After fronting the beloved and influential band Chromatics for over a decade, “Crimes” launches Radelet’s next chapter as a singer, songwriter, and performer. Utilizing the talents of friend and producer Filip Nikolic (Poolside), Radelet’s first solo effort conveys her unmistakable style and distinct voice. “Is it easy to start over?” echoes throughout the dreamy chorus of “Crimes,” capturing a cinematic mood uniquely her own. “‘Crimes’ is about the pursuit of success at the expense of one’s integrity, and the exploitation of others in order to get ahead,” explains Radelet. “It’s about the price we pay for our choices, and whether or not it’s worth it. The question, ‘Is it easy to start over?’ can be interpreted in two ways – it’s meant to ask how it feels to continually reinvent yourself until you lose sight of who you are. It also asks how hard it would be to walk away from it all.”

Listen to Ruth Radelet’s “Crimes”

Radelet is influenced by a diverse catalog of artists, ranging from Joni Mitchell to Frank Ocean. She has been performing and releasing music for over a decade since joining Chromatics in 2006 for their acclaimed album Night Drive released the following year. Chromatics’ music and aesthetic has notably been used in numerous films, television series, and fashion shows. The band appeared on screen in multiple episodes of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: The Return while Radelet was recently featured on a Chromatics’ 2020 remix of the Weeknd’s #1 hit single, “Blinding Lights.” Following the dissolution of Chromatics last August, Radelet released her incandescent cover of Elliott Smith’s “Twilight” in December for the Kill Rock Stars 30-year anniversary cover series. “Crimes” is the first taste of more original music to come from Radelet later this year.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Ahmad at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Chromatics – Closer to Grey

When Chromatics announced a new album was due this year or perhaps early next year, everyone assumed it would be the long-awaited and remade (after being famously destroyed by frontman Johnny Jewel) Dear Tommy. What came instead is the lovely, mysterious, giallo film-inspired Closer to Grey.

The album opens with a stunning rendition of Simon & Garfunkel‘s The Sound of Silence.” Ageless lead singer Ruth Radelet nearly whispers the lyrics and the sparse instrumentation along with her beautiful voice creates a haunting atmosphere that immediately changes the energy around you. Jewel’s keyboards and synth beats on “You’re No Good” bring in some house music touches to lovely effects as Radelet sings, “I know you’re no good, no, but I can’t stay away from you.” I’m sure this was remixed by thousands of DJ’s not long after the album was released.

The title track brings in electro shine and Nat Walker‘s bright guitar licks. The synths on “Twist the Knife” are sharp and stabbing, as benefits the title, and then the heavy synth bass kicks in as Radelet sings, “You can teach me to be cruel, like the way they tortured you. It’s all right.” “Light as a Feather” has a neat dusty, warped record sound to it as Radelet sings about hearing a voice that “sings whispers from the dead.”

“I can rest again, now that the sky is gray. It hasn’t rained here since May,” Radelet sings at the beginning of “Move a Mountain” – a song about loneliness, the kind of which Chromatics do so well. “Touch Red” is another haunting song about awakening the senses (“The world needs color.”). Walker’s guitar work on the instrumental “Through the Looking Glass” reminds me of Love and Rockets tracks.

“Whispers in the Hall” brings us back into giallo territory, with its slasher horror synths and lyrics centered around a woman in peril finding the will to fight (“Little girl the world just wants to trick you. Can’t you see the look in their eyes? Don’t you know the pain will make you stronger? You don’t have to buy into their lies.”). “On the Wall” is the longest song on the album, clocking in at about eight-and-a-half minutes. It has a cool rock vibe throughout it, bringing to mind 1960’s psychedelia and krautrock synth beats.

“Love Theme from Closer to Gray” is the theme to the giallo thriller Johnny Jewel has probably written and is on his way to producing by now. If not, I wish he would because the song drips with foggy atmosphere, hidden menace, and breathy, hot sex. The closer, “Wishing Well,” is not a cover of Terence Trent D’Arby‘s hit (although that would be amazing to hear from Chromatics), but rather a song about unfulfilled desires (“It’s a quiet night in a nowhere town, where the arcade still glows when no one’s around.”) and longing for something beyond our borders – physical and metaphysical. A ticking clock in the middle of it tells us that time is short. We’d better get to work fulfilling our dreams.

Closer to Gray is a welcome addition to not only Chromatics’ catalogue, but also to 2019. It wasn’t a massive surprise when they released it (They were on tour, after all.), but it was a much-needed jolt after a year of anger and self-isolation. It reminds us to embrace our dreams, and each other.

And by the way, Closer to Gray is available for download through the band’s label’s site (Italians Do It Better) for one dollar.

Keep your mind open.

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