Written by Travis Shosa

The musical journey of Gabbi Coenan began in Perth at the age of four when her mother signed her up for piano lessons, but RVBY MY DEAR didn’t take shape until she enrolled at the New York jazz academy The New School. There, she met the bandmates who would help her form its initial incarnation. Five years after their debut EP Balloons in 2014, they finally released their first album, Waiting, but the band soon fell apart after going on tour. Then the pandemic hit. Coenan relocated to Los Angeles to be closer to her family and reimagined RVBY MY DEAR as a solo project: one set to re-debut with a self-titled EP on November 18.

Inspired by the end of a long-term relationship, the third single, “Lose My Mind,” seeks to capture the sensation of having someone you love and trust poke around in your head, attempting to scramble and rewrite your recollections and perspective. “Can’t trust my memories / When you’re always next to me / Just who can I believe / Certainly not you,” Coenan sings, breathy and exasperated. It may draw influence from The Chemical Brothers and Madonna’s Ray of Light, with throbbing bass synth and electronic percussion propelling a rapturous rhythm. Yet, “Lose My Mind” is tainted by something more sinister. Anxiety undercuts the euphoria: the interplay of melodies ever so slightly disorients. There’s a half-second stutter as if tearing a tiny hole through an illusion. “My light won’t fade away / Won’t lead me astray,” she declares. Synths warp and echo like her memories, but she finds that tiny hole (or ray of light) and crawls to the other side. 

For more RVBY MY DEAR, you can watch the video for “Over It,” the second single from her self-titled EP:

Travis Shosa is the founder and editor-in-chief of Stamens/Pistils/Parties. Formerly the runner of COUNTERZINE, he has bylines at Pitchfork, The Alternative, and Post-Trash among others.