Pop-Rock Trailblazer RENE Handles Grief With Grace On Her Softer Sophomore EP

The rise of RENE continues (Credit: Khairul Ameer)

It’s never a walk in the park when it comes to manoeuvring through the thicket of grief and loss. But with her lyrical eloquence, sincere timbre and mass-appealing musicality, RENE knows how to handle it like a champ. The accomplished, rock-inclined singer-songwriter takes these tragedy-riddled themes in her stride, manifesting the heaviness within with a sophomore EP that sees a seasoned refinement of her craft and sound.

Titled Slipped Through My Fingers, the EP serves as a mouthpiece for her coping mechanisms, shaped into a five-track collection that covers variations of such subjects of agony. “I hope to be able to use the EP to talk about these difficult topics and have conversations about them,” shares RENE about the new album. “Losing a person in any capacity, whether to death or the end of a relationship, is a very normal experience as we age and the people around us head in different directions.”

Slipped Through My Fingers is RENE’s second EP following her debut album in 2021 (Credit: Khairul Ameer)

RENE’s intentions are centred around the EP’s title track, a reflective slow-rock march that trudges through the difficulties of moving on when weighed down by grief. Its despondent feelings are depicted with a solitary guitar, gradually layered with an awakening full-band ensemble adorned with horns. This is followed immediately by “What If I’m Too Late?” which adopts a more ebullient disposition that looks to the skies. While it also addresses the anxiety of losing a loved one, it musically dons a brisk pop-rock persona – a sound RENE has perfected through the years – brightened with lustrous synth hooks and a lead guitar outburst that accentuates the coda.

The two new releases sit on the tail end of Slipped Through My Fingers, which also houses RENE’s recent string of previous releases. Featured compositions include the burlier, blitzy indie-rock of “Rule The World”, the wispier lullscape of “Better Than To Brood”, and the fragile, breathtaking ballad that is “Dry In The Sun”.

The artworks for RENE’s releases were conceptualised by Nydia Hartono (Photography), Phoebe Ho (Art direction), and Michaela Wong (Art direction)

As a cohesive compilation, the album marks a sense of maturity that’s seen her come a long way from her debut EP, Something To Hide, in 2021. In just a few years, RENE has become a proficient performer who’s played for Baybeats, *SCAPE Music Day Out!, and even on national radio and television. She’s even been an advocate for equal rights, with appearances at Pink Dot and the Labour Day Rally this year.

Yet despite this rise to fame, RENE’s able to hold onto the sensitivities in her songwriting, tackling tender premises with grace, empathy, and just enough rockstar pizazz that’s made her a standout figure in our scene.

Listen to Slipped Through My Fingers by RENE on her Spotify page. For more about RENE, read our interview feature with the singer-songwriter.