S.Lo on January 30th, 2019

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L.A. can be a place where dreams are made reality and reality is fantasy, and it’s often easy to think this town only values the rich, superficial and glamorous. Or those adept at faking it. In her latest sonic seduction, Rachel Goodrich takes a swat, claws out, at all the vanity and duplicity that’s predicated many a plastic surgery. And she does it with the understated cool her recent material has elevated to high art.

Having none of pretense, Goodrich sings, “Take off all my makeup so that you can see the face that I was born with when you wake up / I just want all the love in your heart / I don’t want no diamond ring / Don’t want no fancy car… Just a one-of-a-kind of a woman / Just a one-of-a-kind of a man.” The dreaminess of the production (the song was made with Matt Linesch, with Goodrich playing all the instruments) challenges how down-to-earth the song’s message is, and holding onto what Goodrich intimately speak-sings in the verses anchors listeners so they don’t float aimlessly away during her beaming chorus harmonies. By the bridge, the singer takes a hold of the envy machine and reduces it to the infantilizing force it is, smartly teasing, “Gucci, Gucci, Gucci-goo.”

“The inspiration for ‘Gucci’ came from a place of insecurity. Feeling as if I’m not good enough or attractive enough,” says the singer-songwriter. “The tune carries a dark vibe, but by the end of the song I realize I’ve been swayed by all the illusions and distractions in the world that have steered me away from making an authentic connection with myself. I accept my insecurities and can turn them into confidence. Beauty lies within. We are all ‘Gucci.'”

The single is officially out on Friday; Goodrich’s new album is expected to be released this summer.

||| Stream: “Gucci”

||| Live: Rachel Goodrich plays at No Name on Friday. Info

||| Previously: “The High Song,” Live at Lyric Theatre, “MonstA Mash”