EP Review: Rhea C. Arachne - A Cry for the Night
Portland based singer and performance artist Rhea Arachne has released part one of her Twin Moons EPs. This first half, A Cry for the Night released just weeks ago in early November and features the first four tracks before the eventual release of A Prayer for the Moon. The project as a whole promises to explore elements of grief, fear, catharsis and hope and this first taste certainly has a blend of all four.
While Rhea’s prose shows a history of torment it is also backed by a deep wisdom. The title track sees her glad to be alive, even if just out of spite, while showing an undeniable certainty all pain is paid back. All of the spoken word is backed up by her own violin playing, put together with the recent fall chill gives it the feeling like it was being played live right out on your street. Because so much of the record overall is spoken word, a part sung or belted feels like a great pay off. To refer to the title track again, it ends with a crescendo chant of “fix your heart or die,” a verse which plays like a warning after depicting a fall into madness just a moment prior.
The sound effects on the record are credited to Marnie and Rupert and for some moments really heighten the immersion to the record as a whole. The heartbeat on the title track makes it feel as anxious as articulated. “The Demon” already has a frantic atmosphere and delivery but the voice of the beast itself isn’t what you would expect naturally as a voice from beyond making it somehow even scarier.
A Cry for the Night demonstrates Rhea Arachne’s strengths very well, her prose, her string playing and her ability to use all of it to paint a terrifying image before you. The second half of Twin Moons; A Prayer for the Moon releases either later this year or early next, with physical releases to follow. Keep an eye on this space, I’ll be covering that one as well.
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