RVBY MY DEAR - "Black Moon"

I only recently discovered Waiting, the debut album from Los Angeles-based artist RVBY MY DEAR but since giving the record its first spin, it hasn’t left my turntable. Gabbi Coenen, the songwriter behind the project, is quite skilled at creating dark, idiosyncratic atmospheres, merging her vigorous, classically trained vocal stylings with glistening guitars and percolating electronic undertones. It’s a striking brand of art-pop that’s earned her comparisons to luminaries like Fiona Apple and Bork. Those comparisons are right on the nose. 

Today, we’re excited to premiere RVBY MY DEAR’s first new music since 2019, a gorgeous new track called “Black Moon.” The song sees Coenen getting reacquainted with the piano, an instrument she began playing as a young child, for what proves to be a very smooth and languid sonic experience. The song’s focus oscillates from more pared back and intimate, with Coenen’s lullaby-like vocals and graceful piano playing driving things forward, to an expansive swell of percussive elements and flickering guitars that slide in for support. The eventual retraction is just as seamless, as Coenen clears the air once again before concluding the song with a rush of strings and delicate harmonies. All of this softness is no coincidence, as the lyrics capture the kind of witching hour doom scrolling that’s commonplace amongst all smartphone owning peoples, as we endlessly search for connections with those outside of our immediate reach. 

Coenen shared the following about the song’s origins: 

I had been posting short clips to my [Instagram] stories of me messing around with some arpeggios in April 2020, and one of them happened to catch Andrew’s ear. We had been talking about starting work on my next album since all our other work was on hold or canceled, and this became the first track we started producing. I didn’t have any lyrics at first, but the pandemic was very much on my mind, as was the dissolution of a long-term relationship from the year before and getting used to living alone again. Little did I know the entire world would be forced to experience almost the exact same thing in 2020…

RVBY MY DEAR also shared a stunning, cinematic video for “Black Moon,” which you can watch below.

Keep up with RVBY MY DEAR by following them on Instagram and Twitter. Check out their music on Bandcamp and pre-save “Black Moon” on Spotify.

RVBY MY DEAR will also be performing tomorrow night at the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles with Jamie-Lee Dimes. Get your tix here!

Photo by Ebru Yildiz