Seeing its full release on December 4th, 2020, Rachael Dease has put out her masterful debut record, Hymns For End Times. We are loving it! Do yourselves a favor and read along for our full thoughts, in addition to a background and insight on the artist as well.

Australian composer Rachael Dease has come out on a tear with the release of her debut album. Featuring glimmers of influence from Jóhann Jóhannsson and Henri Gorecki, Rachael has managed to put together a uniquely magnificent piece of art that piques the listeners interest from the very first track.

So the story goes, the album was written on the banks of the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River) at Western Australia's historic Gallop House. Rachael had moved in during the bushfires and was nursing a newborn, so these songs started out as lullabies and are both a protest against an apocalyptic future and a poetic lullaby to help sooth our fears.

Having a voice that could be compared to Chelsea Wolfe and a song structure reminiscent of Nick Cave or PJ Harvey, the artist has successfully found her place in this musical genre of suspense. For some, this may not be their musical “cup of tea”, however we’ll be the encouragers early on in this review to let you know that Hymns For End Times is absolutely worth stepping outside your comfort zone and diving right into.

Displaying an immense amount of emotion within its striking lyricism, Rachael has done a splendid job of creating the need for the listener to hang onto every last line. At a track length of 12, spanning 41 focused minutes, the record does a fantastic job of creating its own atmosphere, but what’s most impressive here is the world that the artist has created. As mentioned, this isn’t going to be a straightforward pop album as an example, this is a mature piece of work that deserves a close listen with an open mind.

We don’t want to give too much away though, because we’d prefer you give it a listen, but the album really does require your undivided attention. Having listened on a nice pair of headphones was also a bonus, as the production side of things shines the brightest. At this point, it should be abundantly clear that we’d love for you to give it a listen. So much work was involved in its creation, so take the time and enjoy!

For all things Rachael Dease, to listen, and to keep up with all future releases and information, please check out the following links below.

Listen to Hymns For The End Times

Music Video for “The Mountain”

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Rachael Dease shares her masterful record, "Hymns For The End Times"