RUTH BLAKE – “NOT YOUR ANGEL”
A SPILL EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE
We first mentioned Somerset-based artist Ruth Blake a few years ago in relation to a Manchester-based project she is involved in, called Caulbearers. Today we have the pleasure of presenting her new single “Not Your Angel”, along with a video that effectively parallels her feelings to the natural elements. A straightforward melody and beautiful voice with an arrangement that comes alive in your head, angelic woes at the chorus juxtapose with the message in Blake’s lyrics, making for an enthralling listen.
At the heart of this songs lies a rebuff of the notion that a person’s beauty lies only in his or her capacity to be angelic, beautiful and sweet. In defiance of such limiting ideas and the idea that this side of our human nature is somehow toxic and needs to be eliminated – just the opposite, here Blake’s lyrics ask women not to be shy to embrace their own intensity and anger. After all, it’s part of the rich inheritance of our human nature.
In “Not Your Angel”, Blake sends a poignant message in a day and age where “the weaker sex” should not need to limit herself to exclusively positive fluffy feelings. No point in bottling it all up, is there? People’s expectations and the tendency to overlook just how amazing people truly are in their raw form, Blake explores one’s internal anger and the frustration of having to live up to others’ ideals. Ultimately, this song is about appreciation of women – of all their facets, right down to the core.
This single marks a departure from the indie-folk output Blake is best known for. Here, for the first time, she has gone completely electronic with a track. Inspired by Joan as Policewoman, glitchy electronica and dirty bass lines, this creatively refreshing sound honours another facet of her artistry and the human experience – one that is fierce and strong.
Originally from the Midlands, Blake now resides in the mists and vales of Somerset, where she creates multi-faceted indie pop and folk music that stirs the soul and is rich with symbol and storytelling. This latest single brings Blake closer towards territory inhabited by such artists as Joan as Policewoman, Tori Amos and Regina Spektor.
On this track, Ruth collaborated with London-based producer James Yuill, who has worked with such artists as Erasure, M83, Mint Royale and Au Revoir Simone, in addition to having music featured on Grey’s Anatomy, Pretty Little Liars, Scrubs, Love Island, The Inbetweeners and Dead Pixels.
Blake shares the backstory to this composition:
“I wrote this song after a sudden and unexpected break up, which I was trying to make sense of. My ex made a comment about how shocked he’d been to see my angry side, as if it made me lesser in his eyes somehow, and I felt completely betrayed, not to mention dumbstruck that he couldn’t understand that my rage was indicative of how much pain I was in. I felt as though my rage was something to be ashamed of and that just made me angrier.
The song became a way for me to really honour and embrace my rage, while shaking off outdated shackles of the ‘good girl’ and over-sanitised notions of femininity I’ve been conditioned with. I wanted to reclaim it as a sacred, vital force and say a massive ‘fuck you’ to anyone who would judge me for it. As women, we have become so terrified of our anger, but having lived through a great deal of manipulation and abuse in my time, reconnecting with my anger has been fundamental on my journey towards learning where my boundaries are and how to defend them.”
Having received an unusual musical education from pioneering composer, pianist and multi-instrumentalist Edward Chilvers, Blake crowdfunded her debut album Lullabies for Grown-Ups (2015), followed by Creation in 2018. Lyrically profound and musically sophisticated, Ruth’s music is born out of her own passion for self-knowledge and the deeper truths of existence.
Her career has led to her recording at Real World Studios with James Frost and also to involvement in Manchester-based collective Caulbearers, as well as the Music as Medicine collective and Brightsky Community. Her latest solo work prior to this new single is the uplifting ‘Brave Ships’.
‘Not Your Angel’ will be released on April 4 and available across digital platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. Other platforms can also be found at https://ditto.fm/not-your-angel
Credits
Written by Ruth Blake
Recorded by Ruth Blake and James Yuill
Produced, mixed & mastered by James Yuill / Online Recording Studio
Cover photo by Ruth Blake
Artist photos by Kay Dilley
Ruth Blake
[Single]
(Independent)
Release Date: April 4, 2023
Artist Links
Background Photo Credit: Kay Dilley
