About this Kane FM story
3rd November sees the release of ‘Reverie’, the debut album and new project of London-based producer, singer and songwriter Rhi. Fronted by the lead single “Cherry Glow” (out 13th Oct), and upfront track “The Same”; her self-produced album of bewitching and ethereal soundscapes has so far seen upfront radio play from Benji B (BBC R1), Nemone and Lauren Laverne (BBC 6Music).
American-born and Canadian-raised, new-signing Rhi’s upcoming project on Tru Thoughts has been two years in the making. Rhi aka Rhiannon Bouvier is a self-taught producer, who finds influence in electronic fields near and far. Experimenting with gothic sound beds and woozy hip hop beats, she pushes electronic frontiers by melding lo-fi effects and contorting her own glimmering vocals as part of honing a sophisticated, minimal style.
Named after the themes encompassed on the album, ‘Reverie’ was written about being comfortable in your own thoughts and dreams. Rhi explains: “The lyrics are dreamy, fantastical and sometimes confessional and explore how you can be honest with yourself.” Exploring themes of love, loss, reality and existence, Rhi creates chilled-out beats, which range in style from bass music to hip hop and lo-fi.
Rhi’s brooding prowess gives a platform to her lyrics -which are part written from an imagined place, and part from her own perspective -she remains present without ever giving away too much of herself, standing far enough away to not warp your perception. “The Same” opens the album with glowing R&B vocals propagated with elegantly styled glitches, and the pensive opening statement. Opening the album at an unusual point, Rhi fills you with inquisitiveness for where she’s heading next. The looped, pillowy chords and mellow hip hop of “Too High” fade with an honest and slow temperament into lead-single “Cherry Glow”, which harnesses a murky pop that stops short of telling you what’s really on her mind. Mapped onto an atmospheric, woozy beat, with soft pads and slow clicks, Rhi voices an intimate secret guided by the glowing melody which comes in and out of focus. Influenced by Ivy Lab and Synkro, sleek downtempo embellishments and rolling footwork undulations in “Real” entertain darker elements on the album. “Roar” continues in this vein; written around the time of the 2017 U.S. presidential election.
Unearthing points of temporality, the laid back “Night Driving” shows Rhi transcending her surrounds for a simpler backdrop. Linking to themes of existentialism which run through the album, the track fades into the minimal trap of “Slow Dance”; full of frankness about the absurdity of existence, measures of internalized thought patterns and ghostly Theremin notes. Rhi manipulates her voice, balancing the track with more monotone, and indistinguishable androgynous flourishes. Sticking to the shadows, the plaintive tone of Rhi’s spoken word in the ethereal trap gem “Romance” shows a more unconventional side of relationships, lit by a spectral glow before drifting into “Forever” which touches on ideas around freedom of choice and the inevitability that nothing can last. Album closer “Let’s Talk” swathes you in comforting lyricism, reminding you that the best medicine can be to talk and reflect; her fictional and secretive narratives possess the power to captivate and leave you suspended in a dream-like state.
Alongside producers like Noah Shebib aka ‘40’ for his part in Drakes ‘If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late’, and Burial’s emotionally intelligent and atmospheric creations, Rhi cites Arca for his production on FKA Twigs ‘EP2’ as playing an instrumental part in inspiring her new outfit. “When I heard FKA Twigs’ EP, I thought her voice was beautiful, but the thing I appreciated most about the music was the production. It made me think I’d want to be able to do that, and all of it” she explains.