Matt Hewson
Geelong-based musician Rach Brennan has entered a new phase with the launch of her solo project last month.
With collaboration from brother Liam and Portarlington composer and producer Nick Huggins, Brennan released her new single Moon Love in June ahead of a run of gigs, including a spot at Geelong’s ReSound Festival.
The track marks a significant shift in tone from her previous project, Rach Brennan & the Pines, which she fronted for over four years until the band’s breakup during the pandemic.
The Pines, a slick five-piece combining sophisticated pop arrangements with a joyous folk sound, were characterised by a whimsy, naivety and fun that perfectly captured the experience of being in one’s 20s.
Finding success on the festival circuit, Rach Brennan & the Pines released one album and a handful of singles before finishing with a bang in a celebratory show at the Barwon Club in June 2021.
Brennan said her new material reflected a natural change in her own space.
“I think this new stuff is more about embracing a more mature, moodier side of life,” she said.
“I used to write stuff like this often, but I didn’t feel like it was ‘Pinesy’ enough, we were more dancey.
“So this music is probably a bit more authentic to where I’m at now, and I’m trying to lean into that. Different instruments, more synthesisers, even vocoders and autotune, manipulating sound a bit differently.
“The Pines, it’s very much five vocalists in harmony, a huge sound, and I think this will be more vulnerable and stripped back.”
Brennan has also released a series of behind the scenes videos examining the making of Moon Love with her two collaborators, demonstrating how what she’s doing now is “more than just a solo project”.
“I would say it stems from me, but it’s very much a collaboration with Liam and Nick,” she said.
“We’ve pretty much gone into the studio, arranged everything around my songwriting together, played all the instruments together.”
Having recorded a number of other songs already, Brennan hopes to release two more singles in the second half of the year, culminating in an album-length body of work.
“I say album, but it feels to me like singles and more singles will trickle out and then it’ll be part of this kind of project,” she said.
“Hopefully within the next 12 months it’ll all be in the world.”
