Sometimes you can tell pretty quickly when you’ve discovered a fresh new voice that is bound for great things. It only took hearing two songs by Orange County’s Aquafox to felt sure this was an artist that should be going some places.
Aquafox is the musical project of virtuoso multi-instrumentalist Rachel Mae Perry. She had signed to the WME agency alongside Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, and Justin Bieber by age 15, and as a teenager, she shared the stage with countless icons such as The Beach Boys, The Eagles, Jan and Dean, John Stamos, Dick Dale, Jim Belushi, The Bangles, Berlin, and more.
Being around so much talent clearly rubbed off on Perry, as you listen to her first single “Party Girl”. Written during a hospital stay, the song delves into her tumultuous years of drug and alcohol abuse. The folk rock melody isn’t far off from other talents like Jenny Lewis, with the harmonized chorus something The Beach Boys would have latched onto. Lyrically, there’s some deep, honest self-reflection (“Pull back the curtain, I know you’re hurting. Drop the veil.”) and questioning of her past (“Party girl, is it ever enough for you? The more she uses, the more abusive she becomes”).
While “Party Girl” wraps its tragic narrative in pop-leaning melodies, “Hurt You” is a purely melancholic indie rocker. Dark imagery abounds (“you’ve got blood under your nails”) as Perry looks back at a break-up and betrayal (“The sky is fading into black. It happens every time your turn your back”), and wishes to “hurt you back”. The song pulls from pain, and you can hear it in Perry’s delivery. She avoids over-singing or flashy dynamics and smartly stays in down-tempo ranges, allowing the lyrics to deliver their message and seep into the listeners’ conscious.
With two songs this good, I’m excited to hear what Aquafox does next. Discover this future star by listening to these tracks in our Bad Ass Break-Outs Playlist!
The Indy Review 