Premiere: Tessa Rae’s “Tangled” Is a Dark, Dramatic, and Catchy Upheaval

Tessa Rae © 2020
Tessa Rae © 2020
Artist-to-watch Tessa Rae’s latest single “Tangled” is a dark and urgent emotional uproar with a driving beat, dramatic soundscape, and cinematic sense of scale.
Stream: “Tangled” – Tessa Rae

https://youtu.be/5Fk_XI_T0JQ




I lost myself again and it feels alright…

In proclaiming Tessa Rae an Atwood Magazineartist to watch” two years ago, we spoke highly of the independent LA-based artist’s deft rise through the pop world’s fringes. Sporting an “intoxicating blend of smooth R&B, cool electronics and head-turning trip-hop,” Tessa Rae owns a space that is all her own and ever evolving, and she has only continued to grow in the past two years. Catchy and crafty, Rae’s latest single “Tangled” is a dark and urgent emotional uproar with a driving beat, dramatic soundscape, and cinematic sense of scale.

Tangled - Tessa Rae
Tangled – Tessa Rae
I lost myself again and it feels alright
When i find myself again
imma shine shine shine
Cuz i go from highs to lows
A feeling everybody knows
Mama told me tho
It takes the rain to grow the rose
California rains have got me tangled up in blue
On these summer days wish i was tangled up in you

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the music video for “Tangled,” Tessa Rae’s third single of 2020 following August’s “Disposable Film” and September’s follow-up track, “Body.” A confessional set of lyrics reeling against a raw alt-rock backdrop, “Tangled” finds Rae in step with her bandmates as she spills her heart in a defiant display of self-acceptance and ownership over the things in her life she can and cannot control.

Tessa Rae © 2020
Tessa Rae © 2020



I lost my way again
Do I give a fuck
Like heavy weight again
On my chest tough love
Cuz I go from highs to lows
A feeling everybody knows
Mama told me tho
It takes the rain to grow the rose
California rains have got me tangled up in blue
On these summer days wish i was tangled up in you

“I wrote “Tangled” with my best friend/music producer the summer before last,” Rae tells Atwood Magazine. “I started it on piano when I was feeling pretty low one day. I remember I had lost my voice, but I was so excited about the song I called my friend and said, “We have to record this tonight!” We got to the studio in Santa Monica around midnight. The first thing we put down was a bass that was so distorted, it sounded like a guitar. The rest is a blur. We ended up layering two versions of the song together, which is kind of unheard of and ridiculous, but I feel it’s part of what makes the song so special.”

Perhaps it’s this unique layering that gives the song its woozy, almost psychedelic impact. Rae’s voice shines with an extra-ethereal quality throughout, making “Tangled” all the more compelling an experience.

““Tangled” has always been about my relationship with music,” Rae reflects. “The highs and the lows, the trials and trepidations, the love and hate I will always have for my craft. You go from feeling larger than life to feeling like you’re a talentless fraud.”

For a lot of people though, I feel this song could represent so many things. It’s a love song at its heart.

Tessa Rae © 2020
Tessa Rae © 2020

“I wanted the video to feel chaotic to portray the angst behind the song,” Rae adds. “And I wanted to do it with my friends. I filmed it with my music producer (he’s on the drums in the video) and his roommates who are musicians as well. We shot the whole thing in their basement which is basically a construction zone at the moment. It was spontaneous, fun, and incredibly freeing. It’s definitely the most fun I’ve had filming a video.”

“Tangled” finds the limitless Tessa Rae in a moment of euphoria: Indulgent and emotional, nostalgic and in-the-moment, it’s a passionate display of Rae’s ability to convey emotion effortlessly through her vocals and instrumental arrangements. Let the song wash over you, and be sure to get up-close and personal with her in the “Tangled” music video – streaming exclusively on Atwood Magazine!

I go from high to low
Or wherever the wind blow
Mama told me tho it’s time to learn to love alone
California rains and growing pains have got me blue
On these summer days wish i was tangled up in you

— —

Stream: “Tangled” – Tessa Rae

https://youtu.be/5Fk_XI_T0JQ



— — — —

Tangled - Tessa Rae

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