Rachael Dadd has just announced that she is to release a new album titled ‘Flux‘ on 8 November via Memphis Industries. Accompanying the announcement is a video for lead single “Cut My Roots“, one of the most powerful statements she’s made as a singer to date.
The video for ‘Cut My Roots’ opens to a scene you’d more likely come across in a Victorian work-house…the clattering of the machines is both eerie and haunting. As anyone that has followed Rachael will know, she is a highly creative individual, not just with her words and voice but also with her hands – from her enchanting videos which she’s frequently hunting out props for to her early hand-decorated CDs. This opening scene is at odds with who she is…it’s one of being controlled, not being allowed to follow your heart and free will. The clues are also in the lyrics “My love is from another land”…”If my Country says no”…a reference to some of the personal struggles her own family have faced with this country’s strict visa laws. She also revealed that the track is a protest against recent political tides and a general rise in white supremacy.
“I wanted to speak up for our collective liberties. When it came to making the music video I used the context of our oppressive past which, although is no longer in living memory, still echoes all around us today. It is important that each one of us keeps an eye on our collective liberties.”
I’ve known Rachael for a number of years now and our paths occasionally cross, often unexpectedly, including once on a deserted beach on a rainy day. It was then that I was introduced to her husband and performer extraordinaire ICHI. Since then, they have brought a young family into the world. ICHI is from Japan, a country that Rachael tours annually as she revealed in a special guest-post last year which marked her 10th year of touring there.
I now live half of each year on an island in the Hiroshima prefecture. When we go away on tour we return to our green island to find gifts hanging from our front door handle which could be from any one of our neighbours. The guardian of our house feels somehow like the guardian of our family and many other families and musicians living in the community. He runs a record shop, tops up his wages by doing a paper round, works at the forefront of the anti-nuclear movement, and puts on fundraising shows to bring families from Fukushima to stay in the summer. Since the Tsunami and nuclear disaster, these families usually have to live their whole lives indoors to attempt to safeguard themselves from the radiation. Read the full post.
I’ll be honest, I was saddened when I saw the video and heard the lyrics but she’s right…It’s vital that we keep an eye on our collective liberties and stand up against their constant erosion.
Flux was Produced with Marcus Hamblett (Villagers / Laura Marling), Flux is a response to external and internal tides: the flow of life up-rooted; a protest against the flow of recent political history and a diary of the flow within the intimate space of home.
Collaborators include multi-instrumentalist Emma Gatrill (Willie Mason / Matthew and the Atlas), drummer Rob Pemberton (Emily Barker / Low Chimes), bassist Jim Barr (Portishead) and vocalists Kate Stables and Rozi Plain (This is The Kit).
Rachael will tour in 2020 with the musicians on the album, playing the following January and February UK dates:
28 Jan – Leeds, Hyde Park Book Club Tickets
29 Jan – Glasgow, The Glad Cafe
30 Jan – Newcastle, Cobalt Studios Tickets
31 Jan – Manchester, Gullivers Tickets
01 Feb – Nottingham, Malt Cross Free
07 Feb – Bristol, Jam Jar Tickets
08 Feb – Birmingham, Cuban Embassy Tickets
12 Feb – London, The Lexington Tickets
13 Feb – Ramsgate, Ramsgate Music Hall Tickets
14 Feb – Brighton, The Hope & Ruin Tickets
15 Feb – Winchester, The Railway Inn Tickets
For a beautiful insight into Rachael’s life, read 10 Years in Japan here.