Laura Kerry
Mimi Raver is based in LA, but her forthcoming album '06 Female focuses on a wilder setting; the artist borrowed the title from a news story about a female wolf in Yellowstone National Park, and it contains all of the ferocity and beauty that such an origin suggests.
In her latest single, "Ignorance," Raver crafts a lo-fi rock tune centered around her bright vocals. Beginning with a bass line that recalls Neil Young's "My My, Hey Hey," the song—recorded on analog tape like the rest of the album—establishes a warm, lush space that lulls the listener into a feeling of ease. But behind the inviting rock composition lurks a sense of mystery. Each line makes sense on its own, but Raver strings them together to create images more evocative than narrative (“I hear the train but I’ve never seen the track / You call my name but I won’t look back”); the production contains a smokey, murky quality that brings to mind dimly-lit spaces; and while Neil Young uses his bass line to sad effect in his song, her adaptation turns it coy. When the song rises into repetitions of "ignorance is bliss" towards the end, it lands like a warning to the listener: Beware of what lurks behind the beautiful landscape.