It feels like we are living with a pervasive obsession with the past. You can see the idolisation of nostalgia in contemporary music, art and style. But calling Fatshaudi’s project “nostalgic” would discredit how she has learnt from the past to pave out her own path of discovery, love and creation. Rather than wanting to remain in some disjointed, mythical history, Fatshaudi’s work is able to capture shared human experiences in her own, distinct way.
Fatshaudi is the vision of Brisbane based artist Rachael Ryan. Her art embraces authenticity and intimacy through a DIY approach to “online” pop. Bedroom/dream/leftfield/ambient –the list of descriptors could go on and on. It’s an almost Gen Z form of folk-tronica – hyper-folk maybe – threading auto-tuned vocals, stretched-out guitar and synths with goofy jersey club samples and poetic lyricism. You can hear this travelled path when you listen to her 2021 EP Meet Me Where I Am: tracks ‘Sing Softly’ and ‘None So Bad’ are stripped back, distinctively younger, but iconically-Fatshaudi moments in time.
Similarities can be drawn to the popular Copenhagen sound of Smerz, ML Buch, Astrid Sonne and Erika de Casier – interpolating intimacy and reflection through pop and ambient sounds. Crossing the Atlantic, elements of Ryan’s work can be heard in the sounds coming out of New York – a la Chanel Beads’ & Colle’s guitar and ESP’s production. On her debut album, Feel It All Around You, Fatshaudi stands out through her distinct ability to lean into all these different production techniques while avoiding oversaturation; threading the expressiveness of autotuning, synths and breaks, with introspective lyricism.
‘Forever Inside’ is a stand out, combining her angelic vocals, poetically calling for a loved one – whether that is a friend, family, lover, a memory or event – to become a part of her, the singer. The stripped back synth and unfolding of the drum machine, gives the song a feel of vulnerability, opening one's heart, soul and arms to new experiences and the intimacy of others.
The longest song of the album, ‘Remembering (Things I Love)’, captures the eerie optimism, both nerves and excitement, that comes from grounding yourself, and listening to your gut. Whether it's detaching yourself from a lover, old friends or family, “looking out, from the out-side, now I'm seeing things, in a different light / now i brace myself / for a change… say goodbye / let it fadeaway.”
Feel It All Around You draws on the expressiveness and flair of rock, most obviously on the closing track ‘Raindrops In My Eyes’ with a flip of Kim Carnes’s iconic song, but also on ‘Visions’, pairing drums, synths, and a periodic whine of guitar, echoing ‘In the Air Tonight’ in the most complementary of senses.
Good art knows how to carve out its space in the present and capture the lessons, passions and experiences of the past. Maybe that's why nostalgia is such a recurrent theme in contemporary culture – people have difficulty recognising their surroundings, and even more trouble understanding their place in the world. Growth is ultimately knowing how to learn from the past, not just living in it. Like Fatshaudi, to be authentic in what you do, committing yourself to your craft, staying steadfast in your growth, is the ultimate goal any artist can hope for. Or any person, for that matter.
Words by Alex Haigh