Tie Me Up to the new song from Raynes
Photo Credit: Lenita Visan
Transatlantic trio Raynes — Mark Race, Mat Charley, and Joe Berger — has released their latest single, “Tie Me Up.” Profoundly personal, the track was inspired by Mark’s situation at the time of writing as he left behind a part of himself in the United Kingdom to pursue working with the band in Los Angeles. Co-written and produced by platinum-selling producer Dan Book (Shania Twain, Britney Spears, 5 Seconds of Summer, Hot Chelle Rae), “Tie Me Up” is propelled by a stunning arrangement of the band’s signature ‘expansive folk’ sounds enveloped by hand-claps and a head bopping chorus.
“Sometimes things just fit, and the day we wrote this song, that’s exactly what happened,” shared Raynes about the new track. “Our producer, Dan Book, had a cajon and started playing a beat while Mat added some mandolin and we built the skeleton of the song straight away. Dan recorded a chord progression on his keyboard that we loved, so we kept looping it while Mark hit on the topline for the chorus melody. When you hear the right melody, you know it, and we all felt that lightning bolt immediately.”
Speaking to the song’s lyrics, they continue, “At its core, the song is from the point of view of someone whose partner is asking for some sort of commitment, but who knows that they cannot offer the stability or dedication that the other person needs. As a band, a lot of our emotional struggles come from knowing that the dream we're chasing is not conducive to a stable life. We can never offer that (or at least, we sure can't right now), but at the same time, we can't stand the idea of breaking anyone's heart. The first line of the chorus, and maybe the emotional nucleus of the song itself, is just a plea to be given permission to leave.”
“Tie Me Up” is the newest single from Raynes following the release of Set Fire to the Foxes, their lush and dynamic 2021 mini-album. Written and recorded largely in isolation during the pandemic, the 5-track release balances lyrical themes of distance, confusion, and despair the British-American trio experienced during that time while offering a sense of hope when they needed it most. These latest releases continue to put Raynes on the map for their multi-part harmonies and richly layered instrumentation which can also be heard on their standout debut single “Lemon Drop,” and previous offerings “Second Thought” and “Come My Way.” They have since signed with Sony Music Publishing, garnered over 4.5 million global streams, been featured on the UK’s musical game show Walk The Line (created by Simon Cowell), and received media support from the likes of Billboard, Earmilk, PopDust, Atwood Magazine, CelebMix, and more.
Raynes was formed in 2017 when North Dakota natives Mat and Joe began looking for a strong vocalist and came across a video online of Mark from across the pond in Durham, UK. In just a few weeks, the three knew this was the perfect fit and Mark dropped everything to fly to Los Angeles and begin their musical journey together. The trio’s differences have proven to be a winning combination as they combine their diverse influences to form a group whose taste spans the globe, incorporating elements of folk, Americana, and baroque pop with Celtic and world music to create a wholly original sound. The subject matter of their songs is as expansive as their sonic palette, ranging from the classic (love, loneliness, regret) to the unorthodox (mental illness, Samson and Delilah, the London Blitz of WWII), and their lyrics are insightful, affecting, and keenly honed.
