Scarlet Rae is a 23-year-old singer-songwriter born in Los Angeles and currently based in New York City. As a teenager, she cut her teeth as part of the indie rock trio Rose Dorn, whose debut album Days You Were Leaving came out on Bar None Records in 2019. Upon moving to Brooklyn, she started focusing on her solo project, releasing a string of doomy, shoegaze-inflected tracks while also gigging as a live member of bar italia. Late last year, Rae announced her signing to Bayonet Records and has now unveiled her debut EP, No Heavy Goodbyes. It gets heavy pretty fast, both musically and emotionally; the opener, ‘A World Where She Left Me Out’, was the first song Rae wrote after her sister died. The collection finds bliss in radiant, ethereal hooks while avoiding the cloudy lyricism that often pervades them, bluntly enticed, depressed, and disoriented by the range of emotions that accompany grief. “Hope and doom, they tend to balance, right?” she sings on ‘The Reason I Could Sleep Forever’. That balance hardly ever checks out, but what’s striking about No Heavy Goodbyes is how total depletion can act like a light switch, teasing the words and melodies out of the darkness.
We caught up with Scarlet Rae for the latest edition of our Artist Spotlight series to talk about her earliest musical inspirations, her songwriting process, making No Heavy Goodbyes, and more.
One phrase that stuck out to me in one of the EP’s new songs, ‘Light Dose’, is “coughing up time to figure it out.” Time feels like such a blur on No Heavy Goodbyes; you sing about it moving slowly on the next song, and it doesn’t really progress in a linear way. I was curious if that was part of why the EP felt like the right format, and whether it fed into the way it’s structured.
Yeah, the time thing was definitely part of it. I was going to make that the ending of the EP; I was on the fence about switching that one with ‘Call Off the Day’ just because of that line, actually. They were written in different years, so I wasn’t sure. But yeah, the time thing definitely became part of the structure. It was all weird because the songs at the beginning of the EP were the most recent. I wrote ‘A World Where She Left Me Out’ at the end of last year, then ‘The Reason I Could Sleep Forever’ after that. ‘Bleu’ I wrote in February, ‘Light Dose’ in May 2024, and ‘Call Off the Day’ was from 2023. At one point I wanted to flip the order to match when I actually wrote everything, but my thought process on all those things changed.
You’ve been releasing singles as Scarlet Rae going back to 2020, coinciding with your move to Brooklyn and your transition into adulthood. What did it mean for you to focus on solo material and explore songwriting during that time in your life?
I felt like writing songs was so much easier then, for some reason. I’ve been talking about this a lot recently. I was 18 when I moved here, and I feel like at 17, 18, 19, even 20 – you see the world so poetically, more so than you do now. I don’t know what happened, but there’s like a switch. I think I just saw the world through a much deeper lens, even though life hadn’t really hit me yet. I was able to write so much because everything felt so new – music, discovering bands, hearing things for the first time. Everything was fresh and inspiring, and I was so angsty. Writing music was just easy then. Now life feels more serious and intense, and writing a song means you really have to sit there and battle your ego. It feels like, “I’m going to sit here and try to write a song now,” but when you’re 19 it’s just natural. I definitely try to tap back into that headspace if I can. I meet younger people now, like artists who are 20, and they have that spark of inspiration. Everything feels inspiring to them, everything is so Sylvia Plath, and I gotta get reinspired by them.
And surely it goes back even further. When you think back to the excitement of first playing music in different bands, are there parts of that playfulness or ease you try to tap back into?
Yeah, I think so. At that time, I was playing with a bunch of 22-year-olds while I was 16, and that was so exciting. Being on stage and playing in front of people who cared – that energy was huge. I just had to think hard enough to put myself back in those times. And honestly, I was so depressed for no reason. [laughs] Looking back, I’m like, Wow, I was so “artsy kid.” It’s interesting – if my life now were to happen when I was that age, who knows what I would’ve written. I was so inspired by watching Alex G. He’d just be like, “Here’s a day in my life in Philly.” I try to tap back into that, and then I get this doomy feeling of “You’re an adult” that is the enemy I need to fight to be creative again.
Do you remember seeing that feeling in people older than you at the time?
Yeah. Honestly, I didn’t realize it was just growing up though. Some part of me thought, “Oh, I’m just seeing things more artistically sometimes.” I didn’t realize it was literally just getting older. And your family getting older at the same time. When you’re 16 or 17, you’re not thinking about a ticking clock. You’re not thinking, “I should hurry up before my time runs out.” You’re so confident, like, “I don’t have to worry about those things.” That’s the ultimate demon – you’re seeing the world without the lens of, everything is on a time crunch. Part of me would look at people and think, “Wow, we’re sharing the same stage and you’re ten years older than me.” Turns out, that’s just me not knowing. And I’m glad I had those thoughts, because they make me who I am. But I totally understand it now – it’s just the way life is.
When do you think that changed for you? Do you feel like the EP represents that period where songwriting became darker and more difficult?
Yeah, I think it’s post-transition. The songs I released before, like ‘Seems Like Forever’ and ‘Built to Spill,’ were right when I moved here. I was entering this angsty, doomy, ketamine, whippets – just weird shit. That was the ultimate transition into a darker era of my life. Now it’s just like, “This is my life.” The EP definitely represents that. It’s still storytelling, I realize, but really blunt – less metaphorical than I’m used to writing. That’s an interesting way to put it, because it really is that transition period of growing up.
Do you feel like you’re in that same headspace now?
I feel like I’m still in a similar headspace. I’m trying to write music and it’s a little difficult. Everything is really oversaturated. My inspiration source is pretty run dry. I feel like I write my best music when I’m really hyped on a band – not ripping them off, but I start watching live videos, getting inspired by sounds. I think I need a kickstart to enter a new era of music, or maybe another crazy event in my life to happen.
You mentioned Alex G – what other artists have hyped you up in that way?
Watching Radiohead live when I was 14 changed my life. I’ve been tapping back into Beatles music, like Rubber Soul. Watching those videos has started to spike something new for me. I think I’m about to get really re-inspired by the Beatles right now. Back when I was 17 or 18, I was watching more Jimmy Eat World live shit, but now I feel like I need to go back to the roots at some point. I feel like that’s going to bring a big switch. I’ve also naturally been on a big Oasis kick again, but I’ve always loved Oasis. I finally have a band that I’m like, “This is my band” – the same lineup of people playing instruments – and I’m trying to do activities with them, have that band feeling. I definitely envy bands. Looking at band interviews or press, you’re like, “Damn, they’re so together.” [laughs] They’re just doing this together. Sometimes I’m like, “Well, I chose this route.” I chose to be a solo artist, but I hope to have that band synergy again.
Were there shoegaze bands you got really into over the past few years?
Honestly, not shoegaze, but Grandaddy. I have a CD player where I can keep five CDs, and every morning – because I go through phases where I try not to use my phone, so especially during those phases, I’ll put a CD on. Right now it’s Paramore in there. It’s Placebo – I’ve been watching a lot of their stuff lately.
Isn’t there a reference to them in ‘Call Off the Day’?
Yeah, because I quoted one of their lyrics and thought it was so clever – like, “No one’s gonna know that until I say it.” [laughs] I was quoting ‘Bionic’. But I love that band. My friend knows I love them, and his dad is a music agent, so I got to see them a couple of years ago, and that was a huge spark. I saw Death Cab recently – this is not even related, but I was so inspired.
You’d been active with Rose Dorn before moving to Brooklyn. Were there lessons from your time in the scene and band you were able to carry into this new phase?
Yeah, 100%. I’m so grateful for the Rose Dorn era. I learned so much – band etiquette, soundchecks. So much of the behind-the-scenes shit I learned from that time in my life. Standing up for yourself, asserting yourself at a show – I got baby steps of it then, and I hope it comes out more when I tour. We did so many DIY tours with Rose Dorn, and I can’t wait to do that again. I really am living in that time period of 2019 still, so I think it will come out more then.
What was it like to play with other bands onstage once restrictions got lifted?
It’s just so fun to be on stage. Rose Dorn was so homey – those were my best friends, and we were playing the same songs over and over. But then I’d jump into other bands, learn a song in two days, and the objective is to go on stage and play them. That’s a different kind of experience.
On ‘A World Where She Left Me Out’, you switch from addressing yourself to addressing your sister directly, and that happens at various points on the EP. Do you feel in control of that when you’re writing, or does the perspective just take over?
Definitely not – it just happens. Then I’ll think about it, like, “Should I grammatically switch it around?” And then I don’t. I feel like people observe that shit and I don’t even realize that’s what I did. I was debating on keeping them as separate songs, but it just made sense to have it be a switch, POV-style. A lot of times I’m a little self-conscious about it, like, “Maybe I shouldn’t say that, maybe I should keep it to myself.” But if it comes out and sounds good, it works for me. If it flows off the tongue, if the melody lines up, then whatever I’m saying doesn’t even matter – it’s too blunt or not.
Does that change if you’re showing it to someone?
Not really. I’ll send a song to someone, and if they’re listening in front of me, I’m like, “It’s just what I wrote.” [laughs] It’s a bit funny. Sometimes I’ll write lyrics and be like, “This is just not flowing, it’s too direct, it doesn’t work.” But if it’s direct and the melody’s good, you don’t even notice how blunt it is because the melody is good. If I’m really unsure, I’ll switch it, I’ll find a better way around it.
The acoustic outro of ‘The Reason I Could Sleep Forever’ transitions into ‘Bleu’, which is the least sonically heavy but emotionally haunting track on the EP. Tell me about the electronic experimentation on that song.
I was just layering shit on my computer. I wanted samples in there but didn’t know where to pull from, so I’d just spitball, say random things into the mic, stream-of-consciousness style, and then pull stuff from that. That’s how I got all those samples. I had a TC Helicon vocal pedal my drummer let me borrow, so I was playing around it. I had it plugged in with the mic on, having fun with AutoTune. That song was really inspired by ‘Drive’ by Incubus – I love the raw, acoustic, in-your-ear vibe. Also Linkin Park, with those random samples. The lyrics are so short that I wasn’t sure if I should add another verse, but my friend Harry was like, “You should just end the song.” I’d been sitting on it for a couple months, trying to think of a second part, but I just started fucking with all the layers I had, structuring them so they fade out. I think because it’s two and a half minutes, it works.
Sleeplessness comes up throughout your work – you mentioned ‘Seems Like Forever’, but even going back to ‘Big Thunder’ with Rose Dorn – as it relates to isolation and depression. I wonder how being in that liminal state intersects with creativity for you. Do you find yourself turning over lyrics in your head during those moments?
Yeah. That’s a cool callback to ‘Big Thunder’, that’s crazy. [laughs] I don’t even realize I’m doing it, but it’s definitely a theme in my head. Depression and sleep just go side by side. It’s either you can sleep or you can’t. I’m definitely more of a depression sleeper. I’ll sleep 14 hours sometimes, then wake up like, “Oh my god, it’s sunny and the day’s gone,” and I feel depressed. I definitely write about sleep and time a lot. I think they’re things everybody struggles with. I’m not even doing it in a relatable way, I just think those songs hit the hardest because it’s such a construct thing for people. Those are my favorite songs I’ve written, honestly. I love ‘Seems Like Forever’. I think they work best because they’re in that state of tiredness and doom.
Is it when you’re really in it, or more reflecting on that state?
I think I’m in that stage when I’m writing it, yeah. I don’t know. It’s so confusing, because I am in a really weird space right now, so I’m like, “Why can’t I write music?” Maybe, right when that stage is over, I can write songs about it.
You mentioned considering ending the EP with ‘Light Dose’ because of that line, but there’s also “Just know I love you” in ‘Bleu’, which are the words that kind of echo in my mind after it’s over. So much of the EP feels like losing control and slipping away from reality, but it’s also reaching out and seeing your internal world reflected in others.
Totally. It would’ve been a really good closer. That line does give hope vibes at the end. Most of my writing style is me talking to myself, giving myself advice. I’ll catch myself talking to someone about their life and accidentally quoting a line by accident, not realizing it. [laughs] It’s definitely a combo of the people around me and the reality of life, trying to navigate things and give advice, but also give myself advice, figure out what’s right. It’s pretty objective.
In what sense?
In the way where sometimes I’m writing and it’s just, like, “Time’s moving by slowly.” Overall, everybody can agree that if you’re depressed you feel this way, or if you’re happy you feel this way. It’s me speaking to myself, but it’s for everybody’s ears to tap into.
What do you feel proudest of with the release of No Heavy Goodbyes?
I think I’m just proud that I finished something, a full piece of music. With the year I’ve had, I was able to finish a real piece of music, and it gives me hope that I can do more. I doubt myself sometimes. All that goes into it – which is a lot, randomly, being on a label now. While working and doing other things, I can look forward to the future. I’m discovering more people who resonate with my music, which is literally all I care about. I make music for myself, but if you resonate with it, that’s the only satisfaction I really want.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
Scarlet Rae’s No Heavy Goodbyes is out now via Bayonet.
