An empowering reflection on deconstruction as a means of progress, Gracie and Rachel’s “Ideas” is a cerebral, intimate invitation to break down the barriers holding us back.
Stream: “Ideas” – Gracie and Rachel
So take your little ideas, make them a little bit stronger / Throw out the ones you can’t – you don’t need them any longer.
The mind is a truly brilliant device. While we actively put our brains to task all day, they continue working in the background even when we’ve put a thought to rest. Often times, it’s when we stop trying to solve a problem or come up with some solution, that our long-sought after answers come to us – because even though we’ve stopped actively working on them, our subconscious has kept at it. It’s the mental equivalent of taking one step back in order to take two steps forward, and it’s one of the primary lessons we can take away from Gracie and Rachel’s new song, “Ideas.” An empowering reflection on deconstruction as a means of progress, “Ideas” is a cerebral, intimate invitation to break down the barriers holding us back.
Get out of your mind
Find out what you find
What you think of yourself
Isn’t what they think too
How you speak of yourself
Is what you make come true
So take your little ideas
Make them a little bit stronger
Throw out the ones you can’t
You don’t need them any longer
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the lyric video for “Ideas,” taken from the “Trust / Ideas” double single off the band’s forthcoming sophomore album, to be released via Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records. The duo of keyboardist Gracie Coates and violinist Rachel Ruggles, Gracie and Rachel’s stirring orchestral pop surged into our lives just three years ago: Their self-titled debut album set them apart both for its creativity as well as its nuance, establishing the New York-based pair as a powerful new voice on the scene.
After touring and taking time to live and grow, Gracie and Rachel’s new music finds them diving deeper than ever into themselves and their surroundings. Their first release in nearly three years, “Trust” and “Ideas” herald their resurgence with a refreshed spark: the pop sensibilities are all there, as are the evocative orchestral flourishes, the stunningly subtle vocals, and above all, the intrinsic desire to move the ball forward.
“Trust” and “Ideas” arrive in tandem as two complementary sides to Gracie and Rachel’s artistry. The former is a catchy, fervent song of self-discovery and inner confidence. Its beat and attitude ache for movement – for its listeners to get up and dance, or at the very least sway in place – while its lyrics dive deep into the psyche: “Turn up, tune in, a revolution will begin,” they sing. “Stand up, stand tall, attitude says it all.” That these two women are actively discovering a new level of strength and self-love in song is lost on no one; “Trust” is inspiring for all who listen to it, its message of bravely stepping up even when the ground feels shaky acting as a reminder for each of us to believe in ourselves and have a little faith in our bones.
“Ideas” is just as compelling as its counterpart, its message of enhancement and evolution arriving through more subtle, poetic lines that seek to break our assumptions of the norm, in an effort to grant us new freedoms. Its lyric video presents both words and visual stimuli in collage form, challenging us to dive further into the song and the duo’s intent.
You’ve got a problem for yourself
But I can tell it won’t be a hard one to do
One plus one plus one plus one plus one
Isn’t two
So take your little ideas
Make them a little bit stronger
Throw out the ones you can’t
You don’t need them any longer
“We wanted this video to illustrate the ways in which the thoughts in our mind can be deconstructed and built to be bigger than what we started with,” the pair explain. “How can we unlearn the ideas that often hold us back from making progress both internally and through our output? When we throw out the ideas that aren’t serving us and replace them with ones that have the potential to strengthen us, we can open the door to discovery and growth. This video collage aims to show those fragmented ideas as pieces to a puzzle we have the power to either put together or take apart – in either scenario, we have the chance to unveil deep truths that lie within and build from them.”
A study of contrasts and juxtapositions, pop and baroque, Gracie and Rachel sound as self-assured and self-aware as ever in their current work. They have returned at a time of chaos and confusion, doubt and fear; this July puts us well past the 100-day mark since the COVID-19 pandemic began, with many of us still living in lockdown and struggling to keep our spirits high. “Trust” and “Ideas” are two intimate new additions to our staying power playlists, each one surging past the surface to hit us in our core. Stream the new “Ideas” lyric video exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stay tuned for more from Gracie and Rachel as they lead us toward what promises to be an exquisite sophomore experience!
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Stream: “Ideas” – Gracie and Rachel
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? © Tonje Thilesen
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