THE REMAINS OF THE DAY RELEASED ON MONDAY 24TH OCTOBER 2016
It’s only been two years since the release of the critically acclaimed Nightlight, and Rachel Collis is gearing up for the release of her third studio album, The Remains of the Day. The Sydney indie-folk-rock songstress burst onto the scene in 2012, compelling audiences with her ethereal and tender live performances. The Remains of the Day is a 10-track record that once again gives an intimate look into Rachel’s psyche, offering breathtaking vocals and fragile lyricism.
True to form, Rachel’s new album delves into familiar song writing territory; tackling love, heartbreak, fear and the brevity and fragility of life. It reminds listeners to appreciate the smallest things and boldly embrace every moment. Unlike her back catalog – which was mostly composed on piano – the songs on The Remains of the Day have been equally written on piano and acoustic guitar. Space is favoured in this record’s instrumentation, enabling Rachel to spread her wings vocally. As a result, the compositions are humble and complementary to Rachel’s equally powerful and vulnerable voice.
The Remains of the Day sees the return of producer Sean Carey (Thirsty Merc), a collaboration that worked incredibly well on the 2014 Nightlight. “Working on Nightlight with Sean was such a positive experience that I couldn’t not work with him again,” says Rachel. “He’s wonderful to work with — he listens and he’s encouraging…we are both always individually growing in our different crafts and that benefits our collaborations.” The Remains of the Day was mastered by Kathy Naunton at DB Mastering.
Rachel has spent the last two years since Nightlight intensively writing music and collaborating with good friend Peta Van Drempt and husband Steve. “For the past two years I’ve been exploring collaborative writing a lot more,” she says. “If I started working on an idea, I would think; Peta’s style would really add to this song, or Steve’s writing style could really enhance this lyric. My aim was always to serve the song; rather than serving my ego and insisting on doing it all alone.”
Steve actually penned the title track on the record which was influenced heavily by the Kazuo Ishiguro novel The Remains of the Day. “He was so impressed by the fragility of the present and the importance of embracing the moment that he wrote the song,” says Rachel. “Earlier this year in our kitchen I asked if he could get his guitar and play the song for me again. I hadn’t heard him sing it in years, but when I heard it again I knew it captured something that had been in my consciousness and that had kept showing up in my own songs.”
Rachel has been compared to singer-songwriters Regina Spektor, Joni Mitchell and Carole King. She has a profound gift for earnest storytelling and her vocal method is intuitive, often just letting the melody take her on a journey without a particular sound in mind. This impulsiveness was ubiquitous in the recording of The Remains of the Day. “The process was far more spontaneous than last time,” says Rachel. “There were parts we laid down that we never used. Others we re-recorded and changed. Essentially we tweaked and improvised as we went which I believe led to a more organic sound than Nightlight.” A classically trained pianist and vocalist, Rachel has a German/Linguistics degree and a Masters of Music in Composition and Music Production from the Australian Institute of Music. She has performed nationally, including several appearances at the acclaimed Adelaide Fringe Festival. Rachel is incredibly excited about the release of The Remains of the Day — it is easily her most daring and collaborative album to date, with a broad collection of songs that validate her vast maturity as an artist and songwriter. “I look forward to sharing the album with fans overseas and eventually doing an overseas tour in the towns where I have decent fanbases,” she says.
Rachel Collis’ third album The Remains of the Day is released independently on Monday 24th October 2016. For more information, please visit www.rachelcollis.com
