Raveena – ‘Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain’ album review: A lush sonic haven
THE SKINNY: Where do butterflies go when it rains? According to Google, the delicate creatures take refuge under leaves or amid blades of grass; they bury themselves in the nooks and crannies of trees and rocks as they wait for the downpour to subside. Raveena borrows from this practice on her third album, which finds her taking solace in rest, in return to nature and to her roots.
Luckily for us, those roots are wide-spanning. Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain acts as a melting pot for Raveena’s many sonic influences, from lush, 1970s-inspired soundscapes to bending sarods to smooth contemporary R&B. But despite her sweeping stylistic inspirations, Raveena’s amalgamated sound never feels disjointed or jarring, nor does it ever approach derivative.
As Raveena blends influences from throughout her career, and her life, she also maintains a focus on balancing them. More nostalgic soundscapes are matched up with her tales of her teen years, while traditional instruments call back to her childhood on the standout track ‘Kid’. A feature from JPEGMAFIA and glimpses at grooves bring more sensual tracks into the contemporary. Even her polished production is offset by giggles and outtakes from the studio.
True to its name, Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain is a work of sonic alchemy, but it’s also a musical haven, not only for Raveena but for her listeners too.
For fans of: The sound of rain on your roof while you’re tucked up under a blanket inside.
A concluding comment from a butterfly: “The soundtrack we’ve all been waiting for.”
Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain track by track
Release date: June 14th | Label: Moonstone Recordings / Empire
‘Pluto’: With swirling strings, record scratches and a grooving bassline, album opener ‘Pluto’ sets the tone for Raveena’s wide-ranging sonic reference points on Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain. They’re held together by polished production, but mostly by Raveena’s ethereal, layered vocals as she sings of a blissful, otherworldly new love. [3/5]
‘Lucky’: Raveena escapes to another planet once more on ‘Lucky’, which provides a playfully sultry take on love. “Hand up my skirt, now don’t you feel lucky,” she sings knowingly, as nylon strings add to the sensual atmosphere. [3.5/5]
‘Rise’: ‘Rise’ brings Raveena back down to earth with grounding piano chords and sparse saxophones, which come together in a song that you’re much more likely to stumble upon in an old jazz bar than on an excursion to Pluto. It feels elegant and expensive and intrinsically human at the same time. [4/5]
‘Every Color’: ‘Every Color’ stands out as another demonstration of Raveena’s ability to blend her musical inspirations with ease. The introduction alone layers casual chatter with twiddling strings and twinkling keys to preempt a relaxed beat. When they settle into swaying instrumentation, Raveena’s voice makes claims of sanity and vanity to every colour of her existence. [3.5/5]
‘Baby Mama’: Raveena pulls in gentle tables and vocal experimentation on ‘Baby Mama’ to discuss her desires to be a mother. Amidst tentative whispers and altered vocals, she makes stunningly sincere declarations like, “I don’t brush my hair but I’d brush hers.” [3.5/5]
‘Junebug’ ft. JPEGMAFIA: As Raveena leans further into her R&B influences, she recruits rapper JPEGMAFIA for a feature on ‘Junebug’. Clean-cut drums provide an edge to Raveena’s smooth tales of summertime, who settles his noise-rap stylings into a slightly more relaxed soundscape. [3/5]
‘Lose My Focus’: Synths and strings collide on ‘Lose My Focus’, another glossy track which unfortunately fails to mark itself out from the rest of the album. It’s polished and pretty, but just might lose your focus. [2.5/5]
‘We Should Move Somewhere Beautiful’ ft. Arima Ederra: Songbird and soft harmonies narrate a quest to somewhere beautiful in a short one-and-a-half-minute interlude. [3/5]
‘Kid’: The bending tones of a sarod combined with electric guitars are the culmination of Raveena’s musical influences. Her vocals are truer than ever before, too, as she marries her childhood self with her current state. “Damn, I was a brave ass kid,” she affirms. [4/5]
‘16 Candles’ ft. Ganavya: Raveena moves from childhood to teen years on ‘16 Candles’, telling tales of wine stains and pool parties, and finally growing out of crying on her birthday. The soundscapes around her are just as nostalgic, borrowing from the sound of the ’70s with lush Americana. [3.5/5]
‘Smile For Me’: That vintage, VHS-feeling sound continues into ‘Smile For Me’ as Raveena promises minutes and millions to her lover. She charts a relationship with simultaneous romanticism and realism, truly encapsulating how it feels to be loved. [3/5]
‘Afternoon Tea With The Auroras’: A tiny harmonised interlude gives us a glimpse into a rawer Raveena and provides thanks to God. [3.5/5]
‘Little Bird’: Raveena shrinks her sound back down for a minute or two on ‘Little Bird’. Gentle plucks and those more tender vocals provide a new weight to her words, alongside an endearing conversation from recording. As ‘Little Bird’ devolves into otherworldly layers, it cements its place as a standout track on Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain. [4/5]
‘Water’: Raveena guides us by the water through gentle grooves and giggles, into murkier realms of riffs and rock influences, and out the other side. Distant vocalisations and soft synths cap Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain off seamlessly. [3.5/5]
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