rachel chinouriri revives the singer-songwriter genre

what a devastating turn of events album review

Rachel Chinouriri: A Name to Remember

I'm sure you've heard that name. Like all my favorite artist discoveries, it happened about two years ago when a song I'd never heard before came on shuffle. The soft, sweet melody immediately caught my attention, and then Rachel's voice came in. I instantly fell in love and knew she was someone special with a bright future ahead. That song was "All I Ever Asked."

A Promising Debut

I always get excited about a promising debut album, and Rachel's What a Devastating Turn of Events is a breath of fresh air in a music scene often filled with samples and derivative tracks.

Opening Tracks

The album opens with "The Garden of Eden," a gritty, rock-influenced song where Rachel sings about how there’s no point in caring about what others think as long as you like who you are. I’m not doing the song justice with this explanation; all I know is it’s a solid opener.

This is followed by "The Hills," another angsty song with rock and punk influences about feeling like you don’t belong and sensing that everyone around you knows it.

Whimsical Breakup Songs

Then we have what I call the catchiest, most whimsical breakup songs of the album. Songs like "You Never Need Me," "My Everything," "All I Ever Asked For," and my favorite of the bunch, "Dumb Bitch Juice," have a very anthemic sound to them, even though the latter two are much slower than what anthemic songs typically sound like. What I appreciate about these songs is they all come from Rachel’s perspective, which is refreshing to hear instead of songs always being about how one person hurt the other. Her songs are more about hoping you never need her when you’re falling apart, wanting love from you, and regretting giving you everything. "Dumb Bitch Juice" is about how she keeps falling for the same old tricks from a loser of a man (her words, not mine). They’re all hits in my book and probably the most digestible songs on the album.

The Heart of the Album

Now we come to the meat and potatoes of this album; the hard hitters that only Rachel can make, where her true artistry truly lies. We start with "It Is What It Is." It begins with whistles, making you think you’re about to hear another whimsical breakup song, but then she starts speaking. This is more of a spoken word piece directed at her ex, incredibly written from start to finish.

Next, we move on to "My Blood." This song is about the lack of love she has for herself as she tries to heal from a broken heart. The lyrics are heartbreaking, and the haunting melody that accompanies them makes you just want to give her a big hug.

Before we hear the saddest song I have heard in a very long time, we are met with "What a Devastating Turn of Events," the album's title track. This song epitomizes storytelling about a love gone wrong. I’m not trying to assume, but from the lyrics, the last verse sounds like *trigger warning* a miscarriage has occurred. As the title suggests, all I have to say is that the song gets darker and darker from the maybe optimistic beginning of a love story.

The next song seems to follow the last one, "Robbed." This song sounds so personal, honest, and vulnerable. It almost feels physically uncomfortable to listen to it, quite depressing even. In the context of the previous song, "What a Devastating Turn of Events," it’s just so heartbreaking to listen to but also so fucking good. Rachel makes you feel her heartbreak so easily, and it hits you right in the heart.

Final Tracks

The next song, "Cold Calls," even if I see the relevance of it, giving us a little breathing room before another hard-hitting song, felt a bit misplaced and almost not needed for this album. It’s not a bad song at all, but I do feel a bit underwhelmed considering tracks 1 to 10 are very immersive emotional experiences. "Cold Calls" is fine, just another breakup song that makes me feel honestly not much, but maybe that was the idea after feeling so much for the first 10 songs.

The end of the album could have been the song "I Hate Myself," a song that I think showcases just how important Rachel is. A very honest song about feeling defeated by your mind but changing in the last chorus to decide you are not a victim of your own mind. It’s really uplifting. This could have been the end, but we are gifted with two more songs that are fine. "Pocket" and "So My Darling (Acoustic)" are cute songs that easily could have been the deluxe tracks, songs about love that sound very delicate. I can’t complain; I just felt they were a bit out of place on this album and their placement in the track listing.

The Importance of Rachel

Rachel is a very important artist in the music industry right now. In an industry that often upholds white girls as the epitome of “honest” or “relatable” sad girl music, we don’t often get to hear black women in the singer-songwriter genre praised for their storytelling through their writing and their melodies. It is so refreshing to hear sad girl music made by a black girl. I know I personally, for the first time, feel very seen listening to this album. This is why I think this album is so important; it’s crucial for black women to have their space in this genre and write about their sadness and be appreciated in the same way Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, or Phoebe Bridgers are. There are obviously more black people in this genre than just Rachel coming up—we have Olivia Dean, Arlo Parks, Jensen McRae and Cat Burns to celebrate. All I know is I will be rooting for Rachel and other black artists to share their art in the upcoming years in their musical journeys.

Final Thoughts

This album feels like a sad black girl’s soundtrack, and I am here for more music from Rachel Chinouriri. Please go check it out when you have the chance!

Till next time,

Sema