Rachel Croft immediately grabbed our attention within seconds of us first spying her in a support slot at 229 with her song "Reap What You Sow". It was played slowly to just an electric guitar, the words delivered clipped and cutting. She was tall, even without the boots that added a few more inches with a great sense of humour.
She would mention on that night that she played with a band and that they rock, yet so far the fates have conspired against us seeing what a rocking Rachel Croft would be like - until now! This song and the accompanying video give more than just an idea, prepare to have your eyes and ears tested to their limits as you try to take in exactly what you are seeing and hearing with the new single "Pacify Me"
Things open to a combination of mellow electric guitar and maracas which go with Rachel's somewhat initially dreamy sounding vocals, It is only when she sings the following lines that things change
"You're the son of a stranger - bitter on my teeth!"
This couplet sees the song move into a new phase, the video that accompanies this release which until then had been a selection of shots of Rachel getting ready for a performance suddenly focuses face on to Rachel who then directly addresses the viewer / listener - it is well done and jolts the viewer into paying more attention. The vocal changes to being more aggressive and rocky, and there is also the arrival of a pounding big drum sound and an all out rock guitar sound.
There's a fearsome anthemic chorus with Rachel declaring
"You are not God - I need to be free
Not getting caught in your testifying
Don't care what you want
I do what I need
People pleasing never gonna pacify me"
With a third section which speeds up and sees Rachel singing over a sound akin to a rocked up version Canned Heat "On The Road Again" adding yet another dimension to the already overwhelming vocals and visuals.
Visually arresting, with Rachel having images projected onto her and musically stunning as Rachel rocks through the gears, "Pacify Me" is a strong statement of intent. It reflects someone who will not be pushed around into being someone they are not, doing things they don't want to do or making music they do not want to make. To compromise your vision only tends to lead to unhappiness and disappointing results.
It also proves that Rachel does not just talk being loud and rocky she can deliver with some aplomb!!
#TEAMw21 look forward to seeing this incarnation as soon as possible.