Ravenistic believes that songs should make you feel less alone. With ‘Cocktail Hour‘, her new 4-track EP, she has done exactly that. We spoke with the multi-talented singer, producer, and novelist about love, outgrowing people, and the quiet courage it takes to stay
Congratulations on your new EP, Cocktail Hour. Why did you choose that title, and what does it represent for you?
Ravenistic: It wasn’t until I had decided on the 4 songs that I came up with the title. The way the songs flowed felt like a conversation, and I remembered the catch-ups with friends I had in my early 30s. We’d go to bars or out to dinner and just talk. No phones! Just talking about our relationships. They were intimate and honest, and so I decided on the title Cocktail Hour, as it represents an intimate chat with friends.
Were these songs inspired by recent experiences, or are they reflections from different chapters of your life?
Ravenistic: A bit of both. An argument from ten years ago sparked the idea for “With Somebody Else”, and I stored that line of the song away. I didn’t have any other lyrics, just that line from the chorus. “The Perfect Thing” was written purpose-built for this EP to steer it away from being anti-love. I couldn’t write a love song, considering how much I love watching rom-coms. They are my guilty pleasure. But my love song had to be grown-up rather than sappy. I find it difficult to write saccharine-sweet love songs. It’s a nice challenge, because it means I need to dig deep with the emotion and lyrics.
“Sugar Baby” reflects on outgrowing a relationship. Was writing that song a cathartic experience for you?
Ravenistic: I was young, and I wanted to be an adult and move forward on my own. It’s hard to break it off with someone when there is no tangible reason, but sometimes you just can’t stay in the same spot. This is the same for anything in life – a job, a house, any situation that becomes stagnant, as opposed to content. Writing “Sugar Baby” as an explanation of why I did what I did felt a bit like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.
“Memory Lane” embraces nostalgia powerfully. Do you think nostalgia can be healing, or can it sometimes hold us back?
Ravenistic: “Memory Lane” took years to get the music right so that it wasn’t moody or maudlin, or too cliche. It went through a few versions, different lyrics, and different chord progressions. But it was always forefront in my mind that this had to be an uplifting song, because I think that nostalgia should be treated like a sunset or sunrise – always there if you look for it, but always temporary.
Nostalgia can be good healing if it helps you to appreciate what you have now, but I do believe it can hold some people back. For example, I tell myself it would be fun to buy an old car like I used to have, then logic taps me on the shoulder and reminds me my old car didn’t have power steering or air conditioning or brake boosters and it would break down on a lonely stretch of road in the middle of the night, in a decade without mobile phones. Nostalgia has a way of glossing over reality if you let it.
“With Somebody Else” explores toxicity within relationships. What inspired you to confront that conflict so directly in the song?
Ravenistic: That song is a reminder that there are two people in a relationship, so two sets of everything – minds, hearts… and teeth. Sometimes we say things, and maybe we don’t mean the words, but we can mean the frustration behind them. It’s also about internal conflict or inaction. We don’t always act upon our feelings, rightly or wrongly, but we can still reflect upon them.
“The Perfect Thing” closes the EP on a note of resolution. Was it important for you to end the project with a sense of emotional clarity?
Ravenistic: I didn’t want the EP to be solely about breakups or wishing to be in another place at another time, because, in the same way that nostalgia can hold us back, so can ignoring the good and beauty in life. I wanted to end with a love song that showed the heart and courage it takes to sustain long-term relationships, and how sometimes we can choose to stay, and how a lasting relationship is often made up of a lot of perfect little things.
Artists like Debbie Harry, Joan Jett, Kim Wilde, and Cyndi Lauper have influenced your sound. How did their artistry shape the sonic direction of Cocktail Hour?
Ravenistic: These women were my role models growing up. They were front-women, gutsy, unafraid to do their own thing. They had their unique look and style, and it was powerful for me as a teenager to see women in charge of their image and careers. And while they had their commercial hit songs, their albums also had songs that were unique and experimental. I used to love buying the albums; the rest of the songs were just as good as the hits. The songs had grooves and beat and melody, and they didn’t really delve into self-pity. Those messages about empowerment, love, and relationships have stayed with me all these years. Sonically, Cocktail Hour contains the grit and power of Joan Jett, the smooth synths of Kim Wilde, the fun and whimsy of Cyndi Lauper, and the everlasting uniqueness of Debbie Harry.
Compared to your debut solo album, Trendy, how has your sound evolved on Cocktail Hour?
Ravenistic: Better production skills have allowed the sound evolve organically. I do it all – write, record, mix, and master in my home studio, and at the start of Trendy, I knew a little about good mixing and mastering. With Trendy, I had to keep the songs simpler, less crowded, to not muddy the mix. So, I signed up for more online lessons. With Cocktail Hour, I knew much more about getting a song to sound big and cinematic, almost, without sounding muddy. I do love my big crescendos.
You’ve had a diverse creative journey — from playing in bands to writing novels and composing for film and TV. How have those experiences shaped you as a solo artist?
Ravenistic: Playing in a band has given me skills in playing bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and piano/keyboard, which I’m so lucky, otherwise I’d have to hire other people to record my music. And I tend to change my mind a lot, so I’d forever be paying people to redo their recordings.
Writing novels has helped with story and character arcs. It makes a difference if you can make your lyrics into a story, instead of just a bunch of words. It taught me the use of the active, narrative voice. Novel writing also taught me that every word must have a reason to be there.
Composing music for film and TV has taught me all about hooks, tension, build, and layering, and it also taught me a little trick, which is to mix up the choruses sometimes, so they aren’t always a repeat of the other choruses.
What keeps your creative momentum alive as an artist?
Ravenistic: I have a day job, like many musicians. I work in payroll, which is all dollars, hours, and analytics. I need the other side of my brain to remain active. I find that the day job tries to fight to drag me more into its world, and so I start pulling in the other direction and become even more determined to sit at the piano, or play the guitar, or do something creative. I think I finally understand what it is to be a struggling artist, and it has nothing to do with money.
Is there a dream collaboration you’d love to make happen?
Ravenistic: To be honest, I’m focusing on myself as a solo artist. My creative venture allows me to separate from the part of me that has always been attached to work, or family, or friends, or partners. It feels as if, from birth to death, we are attached to someone. There’s a selfishness in me right now that I’m eagerly embracing, and I’m not yet ready to share that side of me with anyone. Except for my listeners.
What do you hope listeners feel when they press play on Cocktail Hour?
Ravenistic: I hope they feel empowered enough to express themselves, if they want. Or to kick up their heels, if they want. Or change their lives, if they want. My songs are not about telling people what to do. They’re about relatable situations that might provide connection, or comfort, or they might be the catalyst for change. I’ve had songs help me make lifestyle changes, big and small, and some have led me to accept or to change the path I’m on. I guess I hope I help listeners feel that they’re not alone.
What’s next for you — are there plans for tours or live performances?
Ravenistic: I have no plans for live performances. Ravenistic is a solo project, and I’d have to find musicians to form a band, or do solo acoustic sets, which I think would be boring. I like my big crescendos and big choruses, and I couldn’t do that on my own. Also, live performance is a different skill set that I have lost. It takes a lot of energy and effort to tour and play live. It was all I wanted to do in my youth, but now I’m content to record short live sessions and post them on social media. It’s fun, keeps me engaged, and I get to reach more people and engage with fans around the world.
As for what’s next, writing more music and releasing music videos. Music videos are just so much fun, I get to play-act, and who doesn’t like that? I’m already working on a second album, which I’m aiming to release later this year. More of the same style of songs, more of the same heartfelt lyrics, and unique sounds. I don’t want my songs to sound the same.
Finally, do you have a message for your fans and our readers?
Ravenistic: Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story, listen to my music, follow my socials, or reach out to me. My music is created in isolation, but you make me feel as if I’m not alone.
