Following on from her 2020 acoustic folk album The Calgary Tapes, Rachel Jack goes pure pop with her new EP Magazine Girls. Blending genres and departing from the folk-pop sound of her previous release, Jack manages to blend the energy with some pretty pertinent messages throughout the 4-track release.
The title song ‘Magazine Girls’, lays out the insecurities brought about by unrealistic beauty standards presented in the media, with lyrics like: ‘I wanna look like the girls in the magazine / but the girls in the magazine, don’t even look like the girls in the magazine’, and, ‘Is it any wonder we’re all so insecure… Few role models to be seen in beauty magazines’.
The self-care theme continues, with ‘Warrior’ and ‘Stop’ confronting bullying and celebrating battles overcome. The final track, ‘For You’, is my personal favourite. Here Jack looks back with gratitude at the challenges she has faced, allowing her to see what she has achieved and where she came from.
The final track on the EP ‘For You’ was recently track of the week on BBC Radio Scotland’s Afternoon Show, so its been getting a good-sized audience. It’s a hypnotic and energetic synth pop song, with infectious rhythms and lyrics showcasing Jack’s songwriting and vocal ability. It was produced by Jack’s former classmate Dunt (Andrew Samson), who was ranked as one of Vic Galloway’s 25 Scottish artists to watch in 2021.
Everyone has had to grow, change and adapt over the last year. And that’s partly what makes this such an interesting release; in a way, it tells a common story of recent times. It’s also a lot of fun.
