Stockholm, Sweden is famous for consistently exporting some of pop’s most experimental artists, and its latest is a strong addition to the lineage.
REIN, who in 2020 released her debut album REINCARNATED, is back with a follow-up that continues pushing forward her signature industrial, cyberpunk sound. God Is A Woman, out everywhere now, is relentless in its approach to dancefloor stompers with 10 tracks that reinforce REIN’s fascination with powerful women.
“It’s simply about dancing like there’s no tomorrow in a decadent Blade Runner night club from the future,” REIN explains, highlighting key themes on the album’s lead single, “There’s No Tomorrow.” Here, REIN’s cult-like chanting is joined by throbbing electro-pop from French DJ Djedjotronic for an effect that feels both slick and dystopian. Even against production that’d make any warehouse walls shake, REIN still sounds completely in control.
“I wanted my vocals to be coupled with very raw mechanical beats and beautiful melodies,” REIN says of this juxtaposition. “It represents diversity as a woman... we wear many hats: powerful and strong yet soft and vulnerable.”
This energy, she adds, is a personal reaction to the oppression women experience — and have always experienced — daily. “I still can’t understand why... we should be the leaders of the world,” she says, delivering her central message on the album’s title track, and then again on standout songs like “Refuse the Pressure” and “Power & Passion.”
Whether she’s singing about “sex or betrayal, revolution or death,” REIN always delivers with conviction — and brings PAPER deeper into each track off God Is A Woman, below.
"How’s It Gonna Be?"
"The lead single and opening track is about a relationship that is going to end. Most journeys and adventures start with being heartbroken, at least for me a few years back. I wrote this from a personal experience I had with a relationship that was hot and cold. Which made me confused if the person even did love me and wanted to be with me. It was a hurtful and very painful experience."
"Mutual Satisfaction"
"'Mutual Satisfaction' is about the feeling of desire and passion that is taking over your body. Sometimes it can drive a relationship, good or bad."
"Kiss You Goodbye"
"It's about ending a destructive relationship. To know your self-worth and let go."
"Snakes"
"It's about being betrayed and manipulated. Inspired by the snake from the Bible, someone who has an agenda with you. I wrote this song from an experience I had a few years back. I have experienced jealousy, backstabbing, sabotage, hate and all that you can think of in this industry behind closed doors. It's been traumatizing and I needed to get it off my chest."
"Refuse the Pressure"
"'Refuse the Pressure' is about standing up against all kinds of oppression. It's about human rights. It's as if the 'Public Enemy – Fight The Power' lyrics were about a female hacker that’s going to change the world with a little bit of The Prodigy-inspired beats. I always wanted to do a romantic revolution song. I wrote this song in anger when I saw everything that was going on in Iran, where women get sentenced to death for not wearing a hijab. Also, the abortion laws in some states in America and other places in the world, the police brutality on Black people. You should never be treated differently because of your religion, sexuality, color or gender. It feels like the world is taking the wrong turn, it's like we're going backwards and no one wants to learn from our mistakes from years back. History keeps repeating itself.
"God Is A Woman"
"This song is inspired by a picture I saw when I was very young. A picture from the photo book, A Child Is Born, by Lennart Nilsson. There is one particular photo where the fetus looks like it's swimming in the galaxy. I remember it blew my mind that a mother’s womb could look like the universe. And I remembered me thinking: so that’s how it all is connected, God has to be a woman. It's also about transforming because this is the beginning of the B-side of the album, so here is where I transform and become some kind of entity. I’m channeling my inner higher self and becoming God."
"No Rules"
"'No Rules' is a song I got inspired to write after a quote from Rick Rubin. He said, 'If you want to create a masterpiece you’ll have to break the rules.' It’s about creative power, unapologetic being and feeling yourself, and along the way addressing your haters and doubters."
"Power & Passion"
"This is about the power in the passion in what you make of life. You can truly be anyone who you wanna be and live your dream life if you just believe."
"For You"
"'For You' is about the loyalty and love I have for my fiancé. He is my best friend and the best person I have ever met. I didn’t know what love was before I met him. There is so much hate in this world and I really felt the need to write a love song for the first time. It might sound like a cliché, but love is the meaning of life."
"There’s No Tomorrow"
"This is the ultimate darkwave dance song with future retro vibes. It's about death: 'live like there’s no tomorrow,' but dance is the metaphor for life.
Photos courtesy of Rein
Related Articles Around the Web
