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London-based RachelAPP is a one-woman project created by Natalie Masse. She has been involved in a number music projects for over the last ten years. One of these projects was called APP (HLMHB) and it ended up being a solo project. She changed the project’s name to RachelAPP and has spent almost four years now focusing on writing and recording her own music.

The music of RachelAPP is very personal and emotional. She opens up her creative and emotional gates and allows her inner world to manifest. Creation is an ever-changing jigsaw puzzle for Rachel. In an interview with Independent Music Online she eplained her belief that when you “find a ‘method’, it is a kind of creative death…so sometimes, [she starts] with a beat, other times with lyrics, other times with a guitar riff, other times with a melody...”

Her music is minimalist with a lo-fi aesthetic – simple drum beats and unlayered synth sounds, dirty guitar riffs, and quirky vocals. The music brings to mind many bands and artists from the Olympia- K-and-Kill-Rock-Stars scene. Indeed, she has cited Sleater Kinney, PJ Harvey & Bikini Kill as obvious influences on her music as well as Le Tigre, (who inspired her use of drum machines). Her music is also reminiscent of post-punk DIY musicians such as Essential Logic, The Homosexuals, and Desperate Bicycles.

RachelAPP’s lyrics tackle loss, anger and frustration and comment on power and violence. She is not into rhyming so much as storytelling. She sees her songs as stories that allow her to convey feelings she “struggles to express in other situations.” While it is true the lyrics deal with angry material, her soft, quirky voice completely counterbalances and reflects her positive approach to negative situations.

For Rachel, success is connected to happiness. What makes Rachel happy is to continue feeling creative and inspired and “hopefully touching a few people along the way”.

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