Rachel Chinouriri's 'Better Off Without' Is Healing Given Sonic Form
Photo: Martina Martian
Rising London star Rachel Chinouriri invites us into the pages of her diary with her latest EP, Better Off Without.
After racking up streams and insatiable anticipation with the release of her single "All I Ever Asked," this four track EP arrives perfectly on time. It's personal and intimate, holding our hands as she takes us through the trenches of her heart. This project feels like an extension of her, an organ outside of her body.
The cocktail of airy vocals and emotional storytelling makes it evident that she was born from the same nebula as songstresses like Nao and SZA, while maintaining an idiosyncratic indie charm.
"Happy Ending" tells a story of when hope and cynicism collide, while "Fall Right Out Of Love" is an acoustic ode to setting love free. The title track feels whimsical, with Chinouriri's vocals captivating you so effortlessly you're mesmerized out of noticing how truly heartbreaking the song is. That seems to be the theme of this EP - pain that feels romantic.
"These four tracks blended together to form what is a story of the ending of a relationship. Music has always been so healing for me. It has helped me move on from a lot of hard times in life. I feel every emotion very deeply, and going through leaving my five-year relationship, I felt heartbreak like never before. In writing this EP, I felt myself heal and grow into a better person; I feel more myself and comfortable in who I am today. This EP is just as much about claiming yourself after going through a time when you may have been neglecting yourself," shares Chinouriri.
Her musical honesty is what makes her so magnetic. There's no boundary between the artist and the listener; we're dancing in her innermost world. She feels safe, reflecting back to us our own personal truths by baring hers. It's oxygenating to witness a performer be so fully human.
As a promising artist on everyone's radar, we've been keen on hearing what Chinouriri has next to say, and Better Off Without has made it very clear: love in its rawest form can be both ethereal and destructive, and we're having a hot, heartbroken, healed girl summer.
Listen to Better Off Without below:
