Gracie And Rachel’s new split single is a bit like two sides of the same coin. Both “How Can I” and “Caroline” were shaped by periods of profound personal change for singer/keyboardist Gracie Coates and violinist Rachel Ruggles, who first collaborated during high-school dance class in their native Berkeley, Calif. The two went on to study music in different corners of the country—Coates at Boston’s Berklee College Of Music and Ruggles at Indiana University. They later regrouped in New York City, where their moody mix of indie-pop accessibility and classical sophistication caught the attention of Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records.
If We Could, Would We is their third full-length album for the label. Working with producer Benjamin Lazar Davis (Joan As Police Woman, Okkervil River), the duo was confident enough to add guitar (among other instruments) to the studio mix for the first time. Aside from four co-writes, each artist contributed four solo tunes.
Coates’ sadly beautiful “How Can I” was written at a time when her version of normal had been upended.
“My relationships, my collaborations, my identity—all were being explored in new ways,” says Coates. “At its heart, the song sits inside a feeling of regret—the longing to take something back once you realize the depth and beauty of what you already had.”
Ruggles’ “Caroline” personifies what could be after a difficult breakup, the frustration cushioned by lullaby-like melodies, soothing strings and an earthy pump organ.
“I locate someone outside myself as a mirror for my grief and growth, knowing that I’ll likely never be the person someone else wants me to be,” says Ruggles. “It’s both elegy and empathy.”
We’re proud to premiere Gracie And Rachel’s “How I Can” and “Caroline.” Look for If We Could, Would We on April 10.
—Hobart Rowland
