Into the Raghouse
How the shadowy world of textile recycling inspired my new single
When I started Searcher Vintage back in 2023, it began as a hobby, became a side hustle and eventually blossomed into a full-blown obsession. I didn’t then realize that curating vintage and throwing pop-up events would become a defining influence on my next album, but that’s the cool thing about inspiration, it’s never linear. Driving from town to town, combing thrift stores, testing my knowledge: it has become a great joy of my life.
The knowledge part mostly revolved around learning as much as I could about the clothing that I liked, so it would be easier to identify in the wild. That meant doing research on the brands that resonated with me: Woolrich, Carhartt, L.L. Bean, Eddie Bauer, Polo Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein. During that process, I was struck by how impactful the visual iconography was for many of these companies.
I built a Pinterest board full of all the cool stuff I found. The Ralph Lauren ads where the model’s faces were omitted to focus purely on the outfits spoke to me, inspiring Forager’s album cover:
When it came to my new single “Raghouse,” my vision for the visuals that we made with director Fatty Soprano was to use the famous Calvin Klein Obsession ads as a jumping off point:
The stark, minimal energy of these ads and commercials has become even more relevant today in light of Love Story and the reignited interest in former Calvin Klein public relations director Carolyn Bessette and JFK Jr. It’s a good fit for the chill R&B vibes of the song, which is produced by Junia-T and features Saskatoon chanteuse Ariel. Her and I have been friends for a minute, so it’s exciting to finally be working on some music together.
“Raghouse” is named after the textile recycling facilities where vintage stores find much of their stock. They are cloaked in secrecy. I only managed to get into one after a friend connected me. I had to show up and be vetted in person. The guy’s office was safari-themed. The building was a nondescript warehouse in the middle of nowhere. The rules were as follows: I had three hours to collect a minimum of 100 pounds of clothing for a fee. The clothes rolled onto a conveyer belt and I had to sort through and grab anything of value.
“Raghouse” is the result of my research, my love of fashion history and my personal experiences doing industrial scale thrifting. But musically, it’s an expression of my long-time appreciation for soul, jazz and classic hip-hop. I’m really excited to finally share this side of me. I hope it resonates with you.
“Raghouse” is now available on all platforms
Pre-save my upcoming album Forager, out on April 24th with Six Shooter Records. You can also RSVP for the virtual listening party on Bandcamp where I’ll be hanging in the chat.
Pre-order my book Ways of Listening, out May 26th on McClelland & Stewart. Here I am at Penguin Random House Canada headquarters in Toronto recording the audiobook last week. So excited for you all to read this book.
You can find me updating my playlists or hanging on TikTok, Instagram and Bluesky. You can listen to my music on Apple Music, Bandcamp and Spotify. You can get Cadence Weapon merchandise here. Pick up your copy of Bedroom Rapper here and please rate it on Goodreads.