For one of small, simplistic form, the grackle is an impressive looking bird. Its deep sapphire head shot through with a piercing white eye and its dark plumage coated with oily rainbow iridescence, the grackle exudes a deep intensity belying its small stature.
It’s no wonder, then, Ruby Fray, nom de plume of singer-songwriter Emily Beanbottom, names her upcoming album after the bird, also a native of her adopted home state of Texas. Fray’s earliest recordings nodded mostly toward experimental folk, but her latest single, “Photograph”, reveals a skulking, acid-washed change of direction.
The spacious, reverb-laden ambience conjures images of the dusty hills of south Texas, where the black expanse of night is seemingly infinite. Punctuated by tinny clangs of fuzzed-out guitar like peyote patches in the valleys, the darkness is sliced through by Fray’s vocals whipping through the hills, sounding both plaintive and wild in turn.
Grackle is out on 30 September via K Records, with pre-orders in all formats available here.
- Gracie Gray announces forthcoming album, Magnet
- Yard Act share live performance series, Live From Utopia
- MEO Kalorama announces a new festival edition in Madrid with the likes of Sam Smith, Massive Attack, LCD Soundsystem
- End Of The Road Festival announce their comedy and literature lineup for its 2024 edition
- SOFT PLAY announce their first album in six years, HEAVY JELLY
- Thomas Powers joins forces with Julien Baker on new single, "Empty Voices"
- Hiatus Kaiyote present new single, "Telescope"
Get the Best Fit take on the week in music direct to your inbox every Friday