Ruth Radelet, the former frontwoman of Chromatics, has shared her debut solo single, a cover of Elliott Smith’s ‘Twilight’. The singer recorded her rendition of the From a Basement on the Hill track for Stars Rock Kill (Rock Stars), a collection of covers celebrating the 30th anniversary of Kill Rock Stars. Listen to it below.
“Growing up in Portland, I couldn’t help but be influenced by Elliott Smith – his music was just in the water there,” Radelet explained in a statement. “I still feel a sort of homesick nostalgia every time I hear one of his songs, and I’ll forever associate his music with the rainy weather and the gritty, small town feeling Portland had back then.” She continued:
Elliott was a brilliant songwriter, and I have always been blown away by his ability to craft such lovely, catchy melodies around devastatingly sad lyrics. “Twilight” is a beautiful example of that, and one of my favorite songs he ever wrote. I first had the idea to cover it many years ago and am grateful for the opportunity to do so for Kill Rock Stars, who have released so much of Elliott’s work and have been such an important force in Northwest music history.
This one’s for you, Elliott, thank you for everything.
Back in August, Radelet, Adam Miller, and Nat Walker announced that Chromatics had broken up.