uuA hard anthem for coping mechanisms, British singer-songwriter Raye is viral with her new track “Escapism” featuring 070 Shake.
A Rising Independent Artist
Raye started off her career in 2014, where she released her first hit EP Welcome to the Winter. Since then, she has collaborated with numerous other artists such as Charli XCX, Jonas Blue, and Jax Jones. Her feature on Jonas Blue’s “By Your Side” would peak at #15 on the UK Singles Chart. Also, her co-written song with Jax Jones’ “You Don’t Know Me” became double Platinum certified. She has been nominated for four Brit Awards. Over the course of her career, Raye would release six EPs and over 20 singles.
Raye is planning to release “Escapism” in a new album scheduled for February 2023, the UK artist’s first ever studio album: “My 21st Century Blues.” Now that Raye has also left her record label, she is also freely independent. Raye has independently released “Escapism” as a single this October, and it has already reached critical acclaim. “Escapism” has reached virality on TikTok starting in December, and it has reached the Top 10 in the UK singles chart. Now, “Escapism” marks Raye’s most successful song. If this song is any indication of what’s yet to come, fans should be super excited about her upcoming album. So, without any further ado, let’s dive into “Escapism.”
Raye Escapes Her Pain
Starting off with a siren-like synth, Raye sets the tone for a panicked, dark song. When Raye’s forward-driving vocals jump in, coupled with an even drum beat, Raye instantly gets the crowd to start bobbing their heads. The bridge is infectiously catchy, with Raye’s vocal range being put on great display.
070 Shake also kills on this song. After these two sing together, the song gains an eerie quality, switching to a fever-dream vibe as the beat completely switches. Further, the song is brooding and dark, and the lyrics perfectly reflect this.
Raye has said in an interview with CapitalXtra that her song is very overt, transparent, and deep to reflect the struggles women face behind the curtain, and reflect some of her own experiences. The song is about, of course, escapism, and how the singer is using sex and drugs to escape feeling emotions:
“In the back of the taxi sniffin’ cocaine / Drunk calls, drunk texts, drunk tears, drunk sex / I was lookin’ for a man who’s on the same page / Now it’s back to the intro, back to the bar / To the Bentley, to the hotel, to my old ways,”
Yet, the singer seems to regret her actions, and knows her actions are just distractions:
“So, you’ll run, yeah / But you’ll never escape / Sunset in the maze,”
This song is a haunting reminder that running from your problems isn’t always the answer, and can be extremely unhealthy. The deep meaning and the entrancing nature of the song is perfectly done by Raye.
If you want to check out more of Raye’s cool works, click here!
