Rachel Chinouriri - Fourº In Winter

At just 22, South Londoner Rachel Chinouriri is an artist ready to plumb serious depths. Setting out to celebrate her growing confidence in production, ‘Four° In Winter’ is an EP that uses her voice boldly, a composite layer of the atmospheric soundscapes she uses to capture a heavy-hearted search through her soul. Knowing that acknowledging your woes is the first step towards healing them, Rachel doesn’t hold back. On ‘Darker Place’, she crouches in a near whisper, playing hide and seek with a chunky daytime R&B groove, whereas on ‘Plain Jane’, she recalls the vulnerable dignity of Denai Moore’s electronic-infused ‘Modern Dread’, melting through the ice with the barbed heat of her youthful turn of phrase - “Saw your new flame / She’s a peng ting / The way you’re used to”. ‘Through The Eye’ puts things even more starkly; “It’s my cry for help / No one else should stand no more of my struggling…” Set to a beautifully tumbling melody, her turmoil is obvious, but like her beloved Coldplay and Daughter before her, she knows exactly how to balance sombre lyricism with moments of head-bobbing levity, inviting catharsis rather than pity. Rachel may be feeling blue, but her shade choice is royal – the kind that’ll make plenty of listeners feel less alone.