Rachael Rose and ‘Butterfly’ Look for Answers about the Afterlife

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Sometimes when you walk on the beach you feel compelled to reach down into the sand or the surf and pluck something beautiful as a keepsake.  That’s how I feel about the latest single from Rachael Rose.  Her new song, ‘Butterfly’ is a wonderful memento left on the earth and we should bask in its allurement.  Welcome to New Music Monday and for this week’s underground gem I am highlighting an artist you probably have never heard of, but let’s change that, shall we? Rachael Rose is a folk-pop singer-songwriter who blends honest storytelling with intimate, warm modern production. Developed as a songwriter and performer in Nashville, Rachael spent years embedded in the city’s songwriting community. Between the stripped-back, truthful storytelling of each writer’s round and her love for modern production styles, Rachael found her sound and style as an artist. There are only a couple of tracks from her available on streaming services, but this is one that you should definitely keep in your pocket.

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‘Butterfly’ takes us down that winding road of the inevitable…death.  However, this isn’t a gloom and doom song about the end of days.  It is a beacon of light that begs the question of “what really happens when we die?” and combines that with a glimmering and optimistic answer.  Hopefully we are with the ones that went before us, and if we are first, then hopefully our loves will follow us there. Rose says of the track, “Overall the song is about the idea of being so deeply bonded with someone that you believe you would stay connected in any and every lifetime.” The song came out on September 4th, was written and composed by Rose, and produced by Gabe Neal. Written from Rachael’s perspective, working as a hospice music therapist, the beginnings of ‘Butterfly began with the story of a couple that was facing goodbyes, yet they were still so in love. It is a song about devotion at the very edge of loss, built around a promise: “If I have the choice, I’ll wait around for you.” Soft acoustic guitar textures from the fingertips of Rose paint a vivid picture and her words carry us into a story that feels warm and inviting even though we do not know what awaits us on the other side. 

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I love these soft tones that ease us into this ominous abyss. It reminds me of the words and gentle touch of Ben Gibbard’s tale, ‘I Will Follow You into the Dark’ that he wrote with Death Cab For Cutie. However, that was Ben’s story and this is Rachael’s.  The song pulls at all the feels because it is written from the heart. While his narrative is about the black, Rose chooses to focus on the shine. The opening verse is certainly a hook:

Have you thought about what happens when you die?

Where do you go? Is there another side?

If it turns out we get another life

What would we know, would I be by your side?

When listening to a tune seeped in surface despair, I can either curl into a ball at the fear of death or I can embrace the faith in knowing that there is still more.  Rose’s path is filled with the spark of eternal flame which is why this song is so infectious.  She chooses love as her muse. Her voice lofts buoyant over her strings and the story unfolds with questions of the journey.  There is a nice chorus that eases the possibility of a lost soul with:

What’s you without me

If I go first where would I be

If I have the choice, I’ll wait around for you and I think maybe, baby, some time as a butterfly ‘ll

Do

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It’s either an exemplary metaphor or maybe it’s meant quite literally.  Whatever Rose’s intention of the language it is a really calming landscape. The song chugs along with so much positivity and any remorse is left in the previous life. I can hear her passion very clearly.  She has clearly captured a core element of what “love” is.  While our bodies eventually run out of time, love endures and carries on infinitely.  I like to believe that anyway. 

Rachael is now reentering the industry that she toiled with early on. With ‘Butterfly’ she is also set to release two more singles this year, centered around love, loss, and loneliness. She has a unique look at the complexity of the human experience that is based in familiar themes.  These releases mark a deliberate evolution to her artistry. 

Also coming this year:

A Different Kind of Lonely

More Than Love 

C R E D I T S

PRODUCER: Gabe Neal (@gabenealprod)

MIXING: Tyler Spratt (@tylersprattmix)

STUDIO: JustFriends Music (@jstfrndsmusic)

PHOTOGRAPHY: Laura Schneider (@lschneiderphoto)

F I N D   R A C H A E L 

SPOTIFY: Rachael Rose
APPLE MUSIC: Rachael Rose
SOCIALS: @rachaelrosemusic
YOUTUBE: @rachaelrose_music