Raggedy is a solo recording project based in Asheville, North Carolina. Creating a distinctively lo-fi blend of folk and dream pop, the moniker is certainly apt, Raggedy describing themselves as “melancholy, misfit, with a lot of heart.” Two recent singles show off such an aesthetic, while also hinting at the diversity of her sound.
With its simple arrangement of acoustic guitar and vocals, ‘My Nightmare’ is an intimate folk song that balances vulnerability and strength. Without the distraction of instrumental embellishment, Raggedy places the onus on the earnestness and feeling of the vocal delivery, finding a happy medium between confessional bedroom pop and a traditional country twang. Alongside the emotion and longing sits something more intense, the vocal style belying a forceful tone that borders on violent.
While again relying on the simplicity of acoustic guitar, ‘Brainwash’ is altogether more dreamy and wistful, the track haunted by wordless harmonies that swoop and swirl in the background. If ‘My Nightmare’ utilised lyrics to create feeling, then ‘Brainwash’ relies far more on atmosphere, the words not as important as the ambience into which they are released.
You can find Raggedy on Soundcloud and Spotify.