Moira Chicilo – Running In The Rain (2023)
With her sweet smile and bright eyes, singer-songwriter Moira Chicilo offers people a light folk sound to be played at any time with smiling jubilance; however, there’s a less cheery side to things – as there is in almost all areas of life. Unafraid to delve into the gritty, grungy, difficult topics that we often prefer to avoid, the Canadian songstress reaches for raw truth in life laying it bare for all to see. Checking the interplay of positive and negative in reality, she speaks to the vulnerable as well as the strong sides of humanity. Join me as I take a deep breath and delve into her acclaimed discography.
Slipping into her most recent single, Chicilo finds a delicate balance between folk and indie-rock in ‘Running In The Rain’. As with the singles ‘Life Carries On’ and ‘Breathe In Breathe Out’, ‘Running In The Rain’ holds the soulful tenderness of Carole King; however, the heavier grunginess of Radiohead breaks through in hard-hitting drums and guitars. A song that is not made to hear but rather felt, Chicilo’s single is like taking a deep breath and letting everything out – all the sorrow, pain, frustration, anger, fear, rage and every other emotion weighing you down.
Interestingly, while ‘Running In The Rain’ is a song recognising the grey world many of us find ourselves in, the great sigh is both fragile and empowering. Chicilo explains:
“Running in the rain is something most people don’t do – they just wait for better weather. In the song, ‘Running In The Rain’, it becomes the metaphor for doing the hard things, taking risks in your life, rather than settling and being satisfied with what’s safe and warm. It was written at a time when I was in a soulless job and there was more I wanted to try outside the walls of my life, so I wrote it like a rallying song to do what fulfils you.”
Sincere, sentimental, introspective and really relatable, ‘Running In The Rain’ is the theme song for glistening dreams seemingly far away but also within reach. For me, Moira Chicilo was a true blessing at the end of a hard week (yes, I know it’s only Tuesday, but the week seems to be lasting forever). Shimmering with kaleidoscopic charm, I feel renewed after hearing ‘Running In The Rain’.
Find out more about Moira Chicilo on her Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
Listen to more folk music on The Other Side Reviews Folk playlist:
Moira’s soulful sound is a go to on my drive to work!