Nashville-based musician Ray Duncan knows a thing or two about paying dues. Born in Cambria, California, she’s been crafting her musical path since age 13, when she played her first shows in her coastal hometown. By 16, she was already gaining experience performing with Ranchers for Peace, a duo formed with her father, songwriter Charles Duncan. Now, with her forthcoming EP Laundromat, Duncan delivers her most fully realized work to date, a collection that transforms years of working-class frustration into pure rock and roll catharsis.
Music runs deep in Duncan’s DNA. Her mother is hit songwriter Jude Johnstone, whose career and insights Duncan explores as co-host of the “Book of Jude” podcast. But despite these industry connections, Duncan has carved her own unique path. Following her 2016 debut EP, This Road,” she’s built a multifaceted career as a background singer, freelance composer, and most notably, as a creator of music for prestigious theatrical productions.
Her theatrical resume reads like a Shakespeare fanatic’s dream: original music for Romeo and Juliet (HVSF Spring Tour, 2023), Much Ado About Nothing (Opera House Arts, 2022), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Connecticut Shakespeare Festival, 2021), and several other productions including As You Like It and Othello. This work even inspired a full-length album of her Shakespeare compositions, sparked by an invitation from Opera House Arts to perform her work.
But Laundromat, recorded at Starbird Sound in Antioch, TN, with producer Mike Fahey, marks a decisive shift from both Duncan’s theatrical work and her folk-oriented releases. The EP showcases a muscular indie-rock sound that draws equally from Americana, classic rock, and R&B influences. “This is the first time I’ve had the resources and the clarity of vision to get this close to my most desired sound,” Duncan explains.
The five-track EP opens with “Waitress,” a gritty ode to service industry workers that places listeners squarely in the chaos of restaurant life. The track builds to a powerful chorus that captures the frustration of living paycheck to paycheck: “You want a roof over your head / you want to drink and go to bed / you wish that you could just play music instead / you pay your dues until you wake up dead.”
Lead single “Used To It” showcases the EP’s more explosive rock elements, with Duncan’s raw vocals soaring over driving guitars and B3 organ. While the song specifically addresses cigarette addiction, its broader themes of self-sabotage and the struggle to break destructive patterns resonate universally. The track exemplifies the EP’s sonic palette, featuring Oliver Finch on lead guitar and bass, Zach Mosher on drums, and Rick Ochranek on keyboards and organ.
The title track, “Laundromat,” offers a lighter touch, spinning a whimsical tale of young love, missed connections, and second chances. Written after the melody came to Duncan in a dream, the song was partially inspired by Lake Street Dive’s Rachel Price, with Lexi Jackson adding layers of saxophone and flute. “I’ve never written a song and so clearly heard another artist singing it,” Duncan admits. The track features rich harmonies and a memorable hook: “Cause babe, it all comes out in the wash.”
Duncan’s journey to this point hasn’t been straightforward. After moving to Nashville from California in March 2019 to further her music career, she found herself both intimidated and inspired by the city’s legendary music scene. Between composing for theater companies, recording original music, and working service industry jobs, Duncan has maintained a clear vision of her artistic evolution.
The EP was funded through a successful crowdfunding campaign, lending additional weight to its themes of community and perseverance. These songs emerged from a particularly challenging period marked by financial setbacks and health issues. But like the characters in her songs, Duncan kept pushing forward.
The collection closes with “Friends,” the EP’s sole traditional breakup song, though Duncan finds a fresh angle even here. “Losing someone as a lover is one thing, but losing them as a friend can in some ways feel way more catastrophic,” she explains. The track serves as a fitting conclusion to an EP that consistently finds new ways to examine familiar experiences. Looking ahead, Duncan hopes Laundromat will help establish her as an indie-rock artist rather than, in her words, “a folkie sadgirl.” It’s a bold step away from her theatrical work and folk beginnings, showcasing an artist ready to embrace a grittier, more immediate sound. Laundromat arrives as both a statement of artistic evolution and a testament to perseverance – the sound of an artist closing the gap between aspiration and reality, between the music in her head and the sounds she can create.
PAST PRESS
“Duncan has both a young-sounding and lived-in voice, with some of the interesting grit of Phoebe Snow, the lyricism of Angel Olsen, and the authenticity of Gillian Welch” – Divide and Conquer Music
“A composition that already looks like a sure hit is what we will find through the wonderful. Don’t let it get to you. Ray Duncan presents us with a sensational work where perfect instrumental arrangements fit vocal lines with unique melodies full of impeccable originality and talent.” – Roadie Music