Rachel Bard Releases New Single “The Buildings Are Fake”

NYC-based singer-songwriter Rachel Bard has released a new track, “The Buildings Are Fake,” her third song to be put on streaming services.

Having written it in 2018 after visiting Los Angeles as a first year film student, the track “is a heartbreak song about the City of Angels.”

A greyscale image of a television featuring on screen a vague image of a beach with a palm tree.
Cover art for “The Buildings Are Fake.”

Produced by Brian McTear and Amy Morrissey, the song takes a stripped down garage rock approach. Almost Pixies-like it sets a nice quiet-loud contrast between its imagery-driven verses and disillusioned, anthemic choruses as the track builds towards a loud finish.

As for Bard’s vocal performance, comparisons that ring strongly include Nico and Dan Bejar of Destroyer. Her gloomy, vibrato-laden delivery faithfully match the song’s cynicism and rise to meet the track’s energy during louder moments.

In “The Buildings Are Fake,” Bard is quite visual in how she delivers her ideas. During the verses she muses about pushing “through crowds of teardrops and sunscreen” and “watching the stars all over the floor,” picturesquely reflecting the excited curiosity of a young film student.

It’s all for nought however. “The buildings are fake, and so is your job,” Bard shouts on the hook, comparing the glamorous facade of Los Angeles and the artificial nature of movie sets to that of a dishonest romantic partner, enforcing the track’s general sense of disappointment.

While Rachel Bard doesn’t stray from being artsy and metaphorical in “The Buildings Are Fake,” its message never fails to be clear. This air of let down and heartbreak is conveyed in full articulation over a solid slacker-rock backdrop, making for a fine new addition to Rachel Bard’s resume.

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