Ontario Artist Mixes Folk with Lofi Rock. - Lennie Rayen: Everything I've Ever Needed
posted 12 Dec 2021 by Krister Axel
Makes a convincing case for the primacy of inspiration and creativity over the soulless trappings of material possession.

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Lennie is an independent artist from Ontario, Canada. Her guitar-driven sound is perfect for fans of Lana Del Rey with a glistening vocal mix, a slightly overdriven indie rock vibe, and a lyrical persona served with natural elements of both cynicism and spirituality. Like so many legendary introverts that came before her—from Sylvia Plath to Mazzy Star, to Fiona Apple—Lennie Rayen says the quiet part out loud while keeping the melancholy dial hard-set at 11. This is the new way.

But it's not all frowns in this empty half of the glass, as Lennie leverages her tough-love sensibility into a consolation prize of light schadenfreude: perhaps the giltterati also cry. Maybe overconsumption and narcissism are merely private runways to the same ennui that this new generation is already born into. The sooner we understand this, the sooner we can start doing the important work of finding whatever spark lives inside us and coaxing it into a flame.

With a music video that leverages a verdant outdoor setting against flattering closeups of a thoughtful Lennie, "Everything I've Ever Needed" makes a convincing case for the primacy of inspiration and creativity over the soulless trappings of material possession. As she makes an important distinction between true need and the greedy hooks of consumerism, Lennie reminds us that the best things in life are still free.

Everyone's Talking
What's on the News
Fixations on who will lose
You think you've got it all figured out
But I know time
It wont get better overnight

Everything I've always wanted isn't everything I've ever needed
And nothing ever good is promised when the jealousy goes undefeated
Everything, everything that I wanted, that I wanted
I don't need

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About the Author

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Krister Bjornson Axel

Ogdensburg, New York

Paris, France. Madison, Wisconsin. Los Angeles. Ashland, Oregon. Ottawa. I write music, I write about music, and I write code. See also: photography, prose, podcasting. I have 1 gorgeous wife, 2 amazing kids, and many interests.


Recent Awards: 2020 ND (Photo) Honorable Mention, 2020 Accenti Writing Contest Finalist