Find your stable ground from the chaos in ‘Build Me A House’ by RIMON
Shows transparency in the midst of all chaos, in its own universal and experimental Soul/R&B sounds.
A genre-blending, soothing, soulful artist appeared on my For You page on TikTok from a video called “Singers you probably didn’t know.” The song captured my attention and felt like a refreshing hint into the mystery that is RIMON. So with that, here’s a not-so-new but not-remotely-old tune by the up and coming R&B/Soul artist named RIMON, who tells a story in “Build Me A House” with Tiggs Da Author alongside producer Mike Hector.
RIMON explains her sound as “expressive, smooth and empowering,” in her interview from Schön Magazine. Born in Eritrea, RIMON found her way into music through her perseverance and knowing that she could do whatever she desired. She credits her environment, her friends and her disadvantaged upbringing for influencing most of her sound; also crediting Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, and Jazmine Sullivan. Most recently, she was inspired by Kendrick’s new album, “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,” in terms of storytelling and vulnerability.
As with some R&B and soul music, we are told a story, and RIMON recreates chaos as a woman who feels peace in discomfort. In this song, RIMON focuses on the unstable and unhealthy parts of her upbringing. RIMON captioned a September Instagram post for the song “May we all find home one day.”
The first verse is introduced to the listener with soft, euphoric but bluesy instrumentals, filled with a reverb vocal fading in the background. As the song slowly grows louder, with a dreamy airy synth, she sings, “Traveled all over the world, to get all the bricks, to get all the stones/ but I just wanted you to know that I ain’t ready yet/ Because I want more, always more.”
With harmonized vocals and a slow-eased stop, RIMON jumps into the chorus. She begins with a smooth drop with a deep bass and what sounds like a crash cymbal, revamped and looped. “If you build me a house I might run away/ ‘Cause there’s places that I know my spirit never stays/ Never knew what home is, till you know what home is,” RIMON sings and repeats.
Echoing vocals are faint but melt into your ears as she begins the second verse, singing “I find comfort in discomfort/ Pretty strange the moment I settle down the second I want change/ Coping mechanisms that always remain/ When you’re used to self-destruction who’s the one to blame,” RIMON sings as the beat builds back into a stable and repetitive nature “I’ve known chaos all my life, so chaos what I chase/ My told me RIMON (slow down your pace)/ You’ve got plenty love to give but now it’s time to take/ You deserve the white painted walls, the flowers in the hallway.”
The pre-chorus later goes on to speak about her vices and hope for her current partner: that they should not waste their time and find a love that’s a bit less unrequited. She begins to rap “Cause you be too nice, nice, I be too rough, rough/ You be polite-like, I just be stuck/ Got rid of my backpack loaded with big rocks/ Cause I can’t paint a picture that ain’t mine.
The chorus repeats, but this time it is more aimed toward her said lover. “Now you build me a house and I run away/ Hope one day you understand why I just couldn’t stay/ Hope I know what home is, uh/ but for now I’m homeless,” RIMON sings.
The video for “Build Me A House” is “A homage and heavily inspired by Erykah Badu and her iconic ‘Window Seat’ video and through her by Matt and Kim,” said RIMON.
She walks through a chaotic atmosphere with cuts on her face and fighting in the background. She slowly undresses until she is nude, showing her vulnerable side to her fans through this song. As she said in her COLORS interview, “Everything should be fine if you look at the picture, but then, it’s never fine for me. I tend to run away because it just feels too stable or too safe.” when speaking on the song.
If you need an escape to relate to or a possible musical therapy session, RIMON’s “Build Me A House” can be streamed on platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud and can be purchased on iTunes.
