Music Reviews category interest

Gracie and Rachel’s new album ‘Hello Weakness, You Make Me Strong’ is a tour de force of indie-pop which combines metaphor-rich songwriting, ethereal orchestral soundscapes, and raw vulnerability. Praised by Flaunt as the “epitome of harmonious duality” and by American Songwriter for “pushing the boundaries of what modern baroque pop can be,” the new record is brimming with swirling musical and emotional layers, and today the duo brings to life the beautiful collection via an at-home NPR Tiny Desk Concert. Bob Boilen called the performance “a beautiful portrait in black and white and — if you're new to Gracie and Rachel — a welcoming introduction.” Watch HERE.

During the new Tiny Desk (their second after an unforgettable performance back in 2017), several highlights from their latest LP (“Stranger”, “Ideas”, “Sidelines”, and  “Underneath”) are stunningly recreated with just a keyboard, violin, shared vocals, and a mixer. Throughout the performance, the duo recreates their new album’s “calming but exhilarating” (Refinery 29) cocktail of rich vibrance, hypnotizing dreaminess, and compelling urgency.

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The Tiny Desk performance follows last week’s release of the video for their current single “Speak.” The duo enlisted the help of dancer Myssi Robinson, choreographer Kyle Marshall, and directors Evan Chapman and Kevin Eikenberg of Four Ten Media to create a stunning visual accompaniment.

The video’s devastatingly effective simplicity (Myssi works to break out of a box through impassioned choreography) serves as a direct metaphor for the slinking, otherworldly track’s message of summoning the courage to embrace and speak your truth. WATCH HERE.

Gracie and Rachel’s ‘Hello Weakness, You Make Me Strong’ was released on Righteous Babe Records last month to acclaim from NPR Music, Refinery 29, Flaunt, American Songwriter, Relix, Ladygunn and more. 

They recently appeared on an episode of Echoes to discuss the album, performed for the likes of SPIN and TIDAL, and wrote an essay for Talkhouse about their creative writing process.

Of the new album, label founder Ani DiFranco says, “their ethereal and provocative songs are a cinematic addition to the Righteous Babe Records cadre of feminist artist-activists. They sing softly but carry a big stick.”