Red Ribbon - Renegade
Red Ribbon invites us on a voyage through a surreal Western wilderness littered with inner turmoil in her ethereal new single ‘Renegade’, ahead of a hotly anticipated summer album release.
Anchored by a steadily pounding beat, ‘Renegade’ has a sweeping, wistful melody that lifts serene, minimalist lyrics to create a soothing and meditative listening experience.
LA based Emma Danner comes across as an old soul on the track, which is perhaps tinged by the tragedy in the singer’s past, but the song does not feel sombre. Instead, it gives room for the listener to reflect on their own past and confront their own inner renegade.
The singer has spoken about the share of misfortune which she has faced in life, and explained that it is channeled into her art. For instance, lyrics like “Out of sight, vision is not who I am” and “May as well be blind if you’re just seeking control” might allude to the car accident which left her visually impaired, an incident which occurred while the album was in its infancy.
In the words of Danner herself: ‘Renegade’ is about how you’re your own worst enemy and you can’t escape yourself, no matter how far you travel.” This concept of fruitless wanderlust is peppered throughout the song’s dreamy verses - “Chasing the sun because it is what we all know”
The song’s title suggests a sense of rebellion, betrayal and brooding solitude, qualities present in the gun-toting cowboy protagonists of the Hollywood Western genre informing the aesthetic of the song and accompanying music video, creating a disjunct between reality and romanticism.
All of this is not to understate the role of the rest of the band, which includes regular collaborators Shahzad Ismaily, Monika Khot, Abbey Blackwell, and Veronica Dye. Each helps to build the rich dreamscape world of ‘Renegade’ with , setting the tone for the rest of Planet X, an ability that is well established in the ambient tracks in Red Ribbon’s discography (like the eerie, gothic instrumental track ‘Destroy’ on 2018’s Dark Party.)
‘Planet X’ will be the third album from Red Ribbon, and Danner, also of part Seattle country-rock band The Berries, has described the process of putting it together as “cathartic.”
Words: Joe Buncle