photo courtesy of Clarion Call Media

Listen to Starlight Cleaning Co & the late Neal Casal's new song "The Race"

March 25, 2021

photo courtesy of Clarion Call Media

Joshua Tree, California’s Starlight Cleaning Co. is the duo of Rachel Dean (who was also in War Children and The Hot Fudge Sunday) and Tim Paul Gray (who was also in The Delusions and Charles Mansion), and they’re releasing their self-titled album on May 21 via SofaBurn Records (pre-order). The album was recorded with Bart Davenport and Joel Jerome, and it features guitar solos on multiple songs by the late Neal Casal.

“This record is a reflection of our life together as well as the individual paths that lead us here,” Rachel says. “The struggles, uncertainty, the hopefulness and love. We hope that it resonates with others in their lives and brings us together as we all seem to deal with these common themes. We dedicate this album, in loving memory, to our dear friend Neal Casal.”

We’re premiering “The Race,” which is one of the songs featuring Neal, and it’s a breezy, gorgeous song that toes the line between jangle pop and alt-country, and is fueled by the soaring harmonies of Rachel and Tim. “‘The Race’ is an account of our time spent living outside of CA, which was a step into an unfamiliar sort of ‘rat-race,'” Rachel said. “While navigating a new place and situation, we struggled with our relationship, which had more or less only just begun. The song starts, ‘running with your eyes closed, deep into the wild’ – the feeling of taking a leap of faith you know will change your life for better or worse. This song is a hopeful testament to true love and partnership when faced with life-altering challenges.”

Listen and also check out previous single “Don’t Take It Away” below.