After just two official singles Rubberband Girl has carved a space in which she can build a big future, uniting a voice of star quality with stellar songwriting and lyrical themes which speaks to many generations. After taking strong strides forward with ‘South Suburban Weekend’ and ‘Star In A Reasonably Priced Car’, her trajectory continues with today’s release of her third single ‘Nothing But A Smile’.
‘Nothing But A Smile’ sees Rubberband Girl pushing her already versatile sound into sleek, sophisticated disco – a little like a twenty-something equivalent to Jessie Ware or Sophie-Ellis Bextor. Her lyrics tap into the heartache and anxieties that come with young adult life but instead of wallowing in sadness, the song becomes a spirit-boosting anthem of remembering your own qualities. Whatever things might be dragging you down right now will soon be forgotten as better things wait on the horizon.
Rubberband Girl says, “I wrote ‘Nothing But A Smile’ with the sentiment of living in the moment. It’s about enjoying your youth and the good times, despite the inevitability of bad days and mishaps around the corner. The line ‘With nothing but a smile and the radio on’ is a reference to the time a reporter asked Marilyn Monroe if it was true that she had posed nude for a photoshoot, to which she replied ‘No, I had the radio on!'”
‘Nothing But A Smile’ was written solely by Rubberband Girl, and was produced by her regular collaborator, the Grammy,BRIT and Ivor Novello award winner Jonathan Quarmby (Mahalia, Greentea Peng, Plan B).
Rubberband Girl is an entirely independent project fronted by founder Caitlyn Scarlett. She stepped into the music industry as a teenager, becoming a co-writer and guest vocalist for artists such as Little Simz, Ms Banks, Rudimental and Subtronics. But there came a time when she felt compelled to lead her own project, one which could bring a modern flair to classic genre touchpoints: indie-pop, jazz, trip-hop and more. It’s also a project well positioned for future live performances, with Caitlyn’s intoxicating personality supported by the energy of a live band.
Caitlyn was raised in Bray in Berkshire. She appreciates the benefits of growing up in a beautiful village with a supportive family life, but like many ambitious teenagers also dreamed of something bigger for her future: the kind of big opportunities that come with big city life. And so she moved to London at the age of 17, and soon started to make things happen for herself.
Citing influences such as Caroline Polachek, Mitski, Lorde, Tame Impala, Lily Allen, Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell, the early days of Rubberband Girl have invited comparisons to artists such as to Susanne Sundfør and Kate Bush – the latter of whom inspired the Rubberband Girl moniker.
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