Raynes is a folk-pop trio with a less-than-traditional origin story.
Mat Charley and Joe Berger met at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. The two clicked and began making music together, but they ran into a problem: neither of them wanted to be the lead singer. So, they solved the problem the way any millennial in the 21st century would: they appealed to the internet for a lead vocalist. Through this siren call, they came across Mark Race, a vocalist from Durham, England, who was just the missing puzzle piece Raynes needed.
Raynes takes inspiration from Coldplay, Mumford & Sons, and Elton John. Their sound is a blend of pop with Americana instrumentation and choir harmonics. Raynes calls this fusion “expensive folk––folk instrumentation which incorporates very obvious elements of pop production, ultimately creating a slicker and shinier sound than straight-down-the-middle folk.”
The band is managed by Girlfriend Management in Los Angeles, and signed to Sony/ATV Publishing a couple of years ago. Though trans-continental, the band makes it work by just continually songwriting with one another through digital mediums.
Raynes performed on a Scenes Live Session, and they were nothing but impressive! Check out their folk-pop music below or if you want to listen to their session permanently, you can download it here!
