The Influences Behind RVBY MY DEAR's New Self-Titled EP

Nov 18

Nov 18 The Influences Behind RVBY MY DEAR's New Self-Titled EP

Today, the Los Angeles-based RVBY MY DEAR is sharing their latest self-titled EP via Spirit House Records. A story of love, loss, and self-discovery told through five dream-pop-tinged tracks, the EP embodies the musical prowess Gabbi Coenen has spent her entire life nurturing. In the time since the release of her 2019 debut full-length, Waiting, Coenen had to process a series of complex life experiences, including ending a long-term relationship with her significant other AND her band, a cross-country relocation from New York to Los Angeles, and of course, a pandemic that upended life as we know it. While shedding some relationships and enduring these challenges, Coenen simultaneously began a fruitful collaboration with producer Andrew Lappin, who helped bring the EP to life. These changes greatly informed the EP’s dark, electronic sound, and in creating it, Coenen drew from a variety of influences both old and new as a means to reintroduce herself as an artist. “I do view it as a reset in a lot of ways,” Coenen shared. “That’s why I chose to make it a self-titled EP.”

Coenen recently shared with us some of the key influences behind the construction of the EP’s fresh sound. They include some artists you may expect and some you may not:

Massive Attack: of all the artists I’m influenced by, this is the group I keep coming back to with every record I make. That sense of mystery and darkness they create, without getting too melodramatic or aggressive, really appeals to me, and their blend of acoustic and electronic/sampled instruments was particularly inspiring to me and my producer Andrew when we were working on this EP. To be completely honest, every time I write a song, I’m really just trying to write something that makes me feel the same way “Teardrop” does!

Portishead: Andrew and I bonded over the 90s “Bristol sound” early in our collaboration and I’m always coming back to them for production references.

Radiohead/Thom Yorke: Confession - like everyone who went to jazz school in the last 15 years, I’m constantly ripping off Thom and Jonny’s chord progressions.

Beach House: I love music and production that envelops you in its world, and their guitar and synth sounds feel your ears are being hugged.

Weyes Blood: “Movies” is everything I love about music encapsulated in a song, it’s perfect.

Bjork: before we started pre-production I sent Andrew a reference playlist along with my demos, which included a lot of tracks from Homogenic. When we were working with composer Alex Weston on the string arrangement for “Lullaby”, our main direction was just make it sound like James Bond meets “Bachelorette”.

Half Waif: I really admire Nandi as a producer and vocalist, and her use of found sounds and field recordings definitely influenced me when we were producing “Lullaby” (which features some voice memos I recorded in Italy a few years ago of a baby making noise in a church, and the church’s door closing).

James Blake: I love the way he combines piano with electronic elements like 808 bass. Beats + piano + angelic yet soulful vocals - I truly couldn’t ask for anything else.

Madonna: I don’t think I even realized how much the album “Ray of Light” seeped its way into my consciousness as a kid until I revisited it as an adult and was like, this is the perfect pop album. I’m obsessed with William Orbit’s production and you can hear that influence, especially on “Lose My Mind” and “Over It.” I don’t hear many artists these days revisiting those mid-late 90s sounds (everyone’s constantly getting stuck in the 80s) so I’m thrilled we were able to channel that vibe in this EP.

Billie Eilish: I know she’s spawned a million imitators, but I’m just happy she made it widely acceptable to have a “quiet” singing voice!

Listen to the EP in its entirety below!

You can purchase a copy of the EP via Bandcamp. It’s also available to stream on all platforms. Keep up with the project by following them on Instagram.

RVBY MY DEAR will be celebrating the release of the EP with a special performance on January 18th at Gold-Diggers in Los Angeles. The show is presented by The Witching Hours. Sonoda and Rainee Blake are also performing. Tickets are available now!