Raveena’s new album Lucid, is the end of May. It’s the end to a springtime of anticipation. It’s the purples of a late sunset, the warm breath of an evening breeze. After releasing two singles, “Mama,” an ode to mothers and all they give, and “Stronger,” an assertion of true agency, Lucid fleshes out the story of a woman coming back to herself. Listening to the album all the way through feels like an afternoon spent with a friend who approaches life with openness and appreciation, that friend for whom the magic of golden hour never seems to get old. With Lucid, Raveena asks us gently to take stock, to recognize the power that surrounds and lives within us.
With Lucid, Raveena asks us gently to take stock, to recognize the power that surrounds and lives within us.
“Simple things / always mean the most to me,” she sings on “Floating.” This is both the thesis of the album and a reminder to herself that she can approach even dark times with groundedness.
Raveena brings a generosity of self and sound to multiple stories throughout Lucid. The songs span the spectrum both in content, from grappling with trauma to recognizing beauty in the everyday, and in sound, from heavily orchestrated soundscapes to straightforward melodies. She pleads with a loved one on “Stone,” promises affection on “Nectar,” and hides from reality on “Still Dreaming,” bringing her radiant vocals to each track. She shows the process that leads to ultimate inner peace. She leaves us with the question: How can we get there, too?
She shows the process that leads to ultimate inner peace. She leaves us with the question: How can we get there, too?
There isn’t a big, secret answer to this question – there’s just the music and everything she gives to it. Lucid is a work designed to bring perspective to the big picture and bring light to the ups and downs. The palpable heartbreak felt on “Salt Water” isn’t the end of the story – Raveena reclaims a sense of self on “Bloom.” The last track “Petal” starts with a beautiful layering of vocals, Raveena in conversation with herself, affirming that even in moments that she feels incredibly insignificant, there is wonder to be found.
With “Nani’s Interlude,” we get a glimpse into the loved ones who help Raveena through this journey.
“It will happen one day, we don’t know what day and how it will happen,” her grandmother says of death. The background music cuts as she repeats, “You will love this life more.”
With Lucid, Raveena helps us understand how to love this life more, how to bring everything to both the hard times and the simple ones. This summer, her enchanting voice will be the soundtrack to bright days, to clear evenings, to every step we need to take until we feel lucid, too.
Lucid is available everywhere May 31.
Photo by Kelia Anne