UK indie pop artist Ruth Blake presents her new single ‘Not Your Angel’, rejecting the idea that our beauty lies only in our capacity to be angelic, beautiful and sweet. An antidote for that toxic ideology, Blake invites women to embrace their own fierceness.
This single marks a departure from Blake’s folkier sound and is the first time she has gone completely electronic with a track. Inspired by Joan as Policewoman, glitchy electronica and dirty bass lines, this creatively refreshing sound honours another facet of her artistry and the human experience – one that is fierce and strong.
Originally from the Midlands, Blake now resides in the mists and vales of Somerset, where she creates multi-faceted music that stirs the soul and is rich with symbol and storytelling.
On this track, Ruth collaborated with London-based producer James Yuill, who has worked with such artists as Erasure, M83, Mint Royale and Au Revoir Simone, in addition to having music featured on Grey’s Anatomy, Pretty Little Liars, Scrubs, Love Island, The Inbetweeners and Dead Pixels.
“I wrote this song after a sudden and unexpected break up, which I was trying to make sense of. My ex made a comment about how shocked he’d been to see my angry side, as if it made me lesser in his eyes somehow, and I felt completely betrayed, not to mention dumbstruck that he couldn’t understand that my rage was indicative of how much pain I was in. I felt as though my rage was something to be ashamed of and that just made me more angry,” says Ruth Blake.
“The song became a way for me to really honour and embrace my rage, while shaking off outdated shackles of the ‘good girl’ and over-sanitised notions of femininity I’ve been conditioned with. I wanted to reclaim it as a sacred, vital force and say a massive ‘fuck you’ to anyone who would judge me for it. As women, we have become so terrified of our anger, but having lived through a great deal of manipulation and abuse in my time, reconnecting with my anger has been fundamental on my journey towards learning where my boundaries are and how to defend them.”
Having received an unusual musical education from pioneering composer, pianist and multi-instrumentalist Edward Chilvers, Blake crowdfunded her debut album ‘Lullabies for Grown-Ups’ (2015), followed by ‘Creation’ in 2018. Lyrically profound and musically sophisticated, Ruth’s music is born out of her own passion for self-knowledge and the deeper truths of existence.
Her career has led to her recording at Real World Studios with James Frost and also to involvement in Manchester-based collective Caulbearers, as well as the Music as Medicine collective and Brightsky Community. Her latest solo work prior to this new single is the uplifting ‘Brave Ships’.
‘Not Your Angel’ will be released on April 4 and available across digital platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp.
