Shortly after Chromatics announced their official break-up last year, singer Ruth Radelet delivered a gorgeous cover of Elliott Smith’s “Twilight,” effectively marking the beginning of her newfound journey as a solo artist. Now, Radelet has just shared her first original track in the arresting hypnotism of “Crimes.”
Produced by former Poolside member Filip Nikovic, “Crimes” sees Radelet operating with her familiar breathy delivery. The song’s lyrics hint at what she’s had to consider with the dissolution of the group and now forging her own path, singing, “Is it easy to start over? Is it easy to play the game? Is it easy to forget your own name?”
She’s definitely establishing her own artistic identity with this solo output, and for fans of Chromatics who waited forever for Dear Tommy and never got it, it’s beyond welcome to hear Radelet soaring on “Crimes.”
“ʻCrimesʼ is about the pursuit of success at the expense of oneʼs integrity, and the exploitation of others in order to get ahead,” Radelet said in a statement. “Itʼs about the price we pay for our choices, and whether or not itʼs worth it. The question, ʻIs it easy to start over?ʼ can be interpreted in two ways — itʼs meant to ask how it feels to continually reinvent yourself until you lose sight of who you are. It also asks how hard it would be to walk away from it all.”
Listen to “Crimes” above.
