by Jasmine Bourgeois
Missing Out is just one of the almost two-dozen Bandcamp releases put out by Thanks For Coming in 2017 alone. Over the last five years, Rachel Brown’s lo-fi bedroom-pop project has released over 50 records and tracks. Thanks for Coming has an impressive ability to create works that build upon each other rather than blur together. Even with so much material, Missing Out manages to feel distinct and compelling. This album is well defined, balancing a feeling of nostalgia with exceptionally fresh sounds.
Everything about this album is soft. The guitar riffs are simple and catchy; the melodies keen yet subdued and perfectly complemented by Brown’s sincere vocals. Each song nestles into your brain and cozies itself — without realizing, you find that you’ve been humming along for days. This is in part thanks to Brown’s stunningly affecting lyrics. The second track, "untitled ii," maps out a story of loss, heartache, and the confusion of longing. Brown’s emotions are palpable as they croon, “I’m not saying you’re unwanted/ I’m just pretty sure i’m not/you want to explore the world/but everything’s been found.” The closing track, "keep it," has an openness that hits you in the chest: “I’m always missing out/I’m always falling down/I’m always worried you won’t want to stick around/I’m always missing out/I’m always in the clouds/I’m always worried I won’t make it back to the ground.”
Missing Out embodies everything to love about DIY music: A meeting between the familiarity of talking with people you love and the openness of a diary. The album reflects on the familiar feeling of wanting something but not knowing what; staying in place but seeing where you want go. Each track beams with a profound placidity, letting the whole album wade in it without drowning. Thanks for Coming crawls into the space of vulnerability that exists between exploration and standing still, empathizing with it and creating one of the most tender releases of the year.