Raechel Whitchurch - What A Time To Be Alive (2024)

Raechel Whitchurch releases her highly anticipated sophomore album, What A Time To Be Alive; 10 songs that offer a candid glimpse into the human experience, with moments of joy, sadness and everything in between.

Staying loyal to her roots, Whitchurch delivers an album filled with raw, wholesome lyrics and her signature trad-country sound, and shows us the immense depth of her songwriting.

Whitchurch speaks to the universal truths of loss and resilience, resonating with listeners on an emotional level, while also delving into the light and sometimes hilarious moments that come after reflection – everything that points to a life well lived.

Following the success of her first album Finally Clear, which debuted at #1 on the ARIA Australian Country charts, #3 on the AIR Independent Album Charts, and earned her two Golden Guitar nominations, Whitchurch says this is part two to her earlier release.

"When I wrote [my first album] 'Finally Clear', I was full of hope, wonder and optimism. It was the story of a girl who had decided to take a chance and chase her dreams.

"My new album is the second part of that story – it is what happens after you take that chance. It's the highs and the lows, the overwhelming joy and the excruciating pain, it's laughing until it hurts and crying until it feels a little better."

Whitchurch wrote all of the songs from 2020 through to 2023. During this time, she was releasing her debut album, facing significant career struggles thanks to the global pandemic, grappling with the anxiety and uncertainty of the future, raising a 1 and 3 year old with her husband in a tiny Sydney apartment, all while experiencing the loss of an unborn child and the death of her grandmother.

It was a lot.

But these experiences profoundly shaped the themes of the songs she was writing,

"Writing has always been something that I've used to process my own feelings and experiences. Sometimes I don't even know what I feel until I bring it to life in a song.

"Something that I really tried to be conscious of with these songs was to not pretty them up too much. With my last album I think I wanted to make the songs really palatable to the listener, but this time I was more focussed on keeping them raw, a little bit rough, a little more like real life.

"I think it made me a better writer to leave some of the dirt on."

What A Time To Be Alive is a remarkable achievement, embodying the joy, pain, and complexity of life. Her unflinching honesty and raw storytelling create a deeply moving listening experience, solidifying her place as one of Australian country music's most compelling voices. She truly makes the ordinary feel extraordinary.