Watch Rachel Bobbitt sing songs that helped her feel less alone
The singer-songwriter wrote her recent EP during isolation to feel closer to the people she was missing
Rachel Bobbitt is an artist with an affinity for poetic language. Her lyricism is gripping, as she unravels the idiosyncrasies that make us human one verse at a time.
The Nova Scotia-born, Toronto-based singer-songwriter stopped by the CBC Music studio to perform songs from her recent EP on The Intro. The Ceiling Could Collapse is a collection of songs about the relationships in Bobbitt's life: on "More," she explores how exerting her bodily autonomy threatened past romantic relationships; on "Gemini Ties," she grapples with feeling like she needs to protect her twin brother; and "What About the Kids" is about traversing familial trauma.
Bobbitt tells The Intro host Jess Huddleston that she found the title for her EP while reading deleted scenes from the horror film Hereditary. The phrase struck her, and made her think about how people deal with insurmountable tragedy or loss.
"There's nothing we can do about it, so all we can do is deal with the now and what we know is real," she said.
Bobbitt has come a long way since her start on the now-defunct video-sharing app Vine. More than 10 years later, she has mastered building songs that swell into cinematic moments. There is such potent subtlety in the way Bobbitt commands the room as she performs, even when her voice is just above a whisper. Her frequent collaborator Justice Der joins Bobbitt's band on guitar, his shredding imbuing the music with vim and vigour.
Watch the episode above to witness the entrancing performances for yourself, and find out why Huddleston thinks "Gemini Ties" sounds like a cross between "Playground Love" by Air and "Sparks" by Coldplay.
CBC Music's The Intro spotlights emerging musicians across the country through interviews and live performances, and airs on CBC Gem, YouTube and CBCMusic.ca/TheIntro. Keep an eye out for new episodes every second Tuesday.