Human As I Came
A New Album by Rachel Efron
Available everywhere 10/16/20
“I’m sick with what I conceal
Be witness that I am real
Human as I came
In your arms I claim my longing”
In Spring of 2012 Rachel Efron could no longer deny that she wasn’t feeling well. Following years of slowly then quickly increasing fatigue, pain, and cognitive impairment, she took herself to a slew of doctors until at last came the diagnosis of late stage neurological Lyme Disease. Despite following doctor’s orders, like so many with this under-examined illness, she continued to deteriorate. Ultimately she was forced to come off the road, and even stop performing altogether, to undertake a healing journey of her own devising. With herbs and medicinal foods, watching sunsets to overcome trauma, and at last learning to truly rest, Rachel gradually regained her body, her psyche, and her mind.
All the while, in every small crack between the pain and confusion, she wrote. First there was a song of loss, rummaging through the remains of connection to family for what bits might still comprise you (“Still For You”). Next there were mischief fantasies, prophesying an audacity she would soon discover she dearly needed (“Little Bit Of Bad,” “Your Money Costs Too Much”). Finally there were songs that cracked her right open, vocalizing the love that had carried her every day of her life, but now so much higher (“I Changed My Mind, I Want You,” “Home To Me”).
The result is her new album, “Human As I Came,” which is ultimately less an artifact of intense pain than a roadmap between one woman’s soul and the world of which she is finally a part.
Rachel went East to re-team with one of her best music friends, producer and bassist Jon Evans (Tori Amos, Sarah MacLachlan) to dream up the soundscapes of this multi-mood collection. Matthias Bossi (Sleepytime Guerrilla Museum) rounded out the rhythm section with his laser instincts for both her sweet/dreamy and her urgent/reckless. Back in California, Rachel collaborated for the first time with Erik Jekabson, who arranged a horn section of reeds happily commingling with incisive brass. Rachel recorded her vocals not once but twice, in order to break into her songs not just as the songwriter, but as a performing artist.
Rachel releases her first single, “I Changed My Mind, I Want You” on September 18th, and her second single, “Your Money Costs Too Much,” along with her debut music video, on October 9th. “Human As I Came” follows on October 16th, and will be available on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, and everywhere else music is streamed.
