With raw emotions and Lana Del Rey vibes, the singer-songwriter drops her compelling EP.
LA-hailed indie-pop singer Carly Rose has dropped her long-awaited debut EP “Wild” today and we can’t get enough. Having kicked off the summer with her repeat button-breaking tune “twentyone”, Rose has been spending some time in quarantine reflecting on life, leading her to record her latest tune “Song Of The Summer”. With rhythmic drums and melodic guitars, Rose opens up about young love with evocative and relatable lyricism.
Speaking on the release of her debut EP, Rose said, “This EP is so important to me. This collection of songs largely examines the theme of substance abuse that has plagued many of my most coveted relationships. Being a witness to more self-destructive behaviour than I can keep track of from the ones I have loved and many who I have lost led me to put all that confusion, frustration, and heartache into The Wild EP. In many ways, I see this body of work as my way of making peace with the years of my life these songs pull from. That’s why it’s not an EP filled with sad piano ballads. It’s the songs you listen to when you realise how fucking badass it is when you are able to come out on the other side of hardship.”
Dropping the video to her latest single “Wild” today, Rose takes us through a piano-led ballad teaming up with singer Goody Grace for a romantic song that will leave you in your feels. Inspired by blockbuster hit A Star is Born, the tune weaves in the themes of a passionate relationship with thunderous orchestral drums and strings, giving us “Young and Beautiful” vibes. We caught up with the star talking early beginnings, the new EP and what’s next.
Check out the interview below…
Hi Carly, how has lockdown been for you? Has it affected your outlook on your music or creativity?
It has been an interesting ride that’s for sure. I bet we can all agree on that. In the beginning part of quarantine, I was really struggling to stay creative and motivated and inspired. I was at such a loss for words with everything going on in the world at the time and it still being so fresh. I literally felt like, “what could I possibly say write now? I am speechless.” That was frustrating for me. Eventually as I began to settle into the new normal, I was able to find my voice again and naturally started writing again. I think I just needed some time to understand my own perspective on everything that was happening. Now I feel extremely rejuvenated and more motivated than ever. Having the time to step back and really figure out what I wanted from this year despite all the hardships so far was extremely valuable for me.
How did growing up in New York influence you sonically? Who were your musical heroes?
I would say this had a huge impact on me. The Strokes are one of my all-time favourite bands and I had a fascination for the whole early 2000s New York rock scene from a young age. Reading the book “Meet Me in the Bathroom” is my way of pretending I was old enough to be a part of that movement. I also think being able to go see shows so easily in NYC was huge for me. I started going to shows at such a young age and that really shaped my perspective for what I wanted out of my own live performances.
Drug addiction, lost youth – you cover a broad spectrum of important and hard-hitting topics – why is it important for you to be frank and honest in your songs?
Writing is a form of therapy for me so what I write about is all the stuff that I need to get out of my head somehow. I don’t write about these topics to try to be perceived a certain way or anything like that. The themes are really just what I feel the need to say at the time. I do like the idea of writing about these topics, that are often hard to discuss, in a way that is more accessible so that even if you don’t go to listen to my music with the goal of having a heavy thought-provoking experience, I sneak it in there for you.
Congrats on your new track “Wild” – what is it about or inspired by?
This song was actually largely inspired by the relationship between the two main characters in A Star Is Born. With some inspiration from my own experience weaved in. But this one is the story of a dramatically dysfunctional but beautifully passionate relationship. It is from the perspective of one partner, who has assumed the ‘caregiver’ role to a partner who is self destructing before their eyes. But this is about being too invested to walk away, whether for better or worse. It’s that push and pull dynamic that never really gets anywhere productive…doing something over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. Or in this case, driving someone wild.
How did the collaboration with Goody Grace come about?
The Goody collab came about super organically. He and G-Eazy have done a bunch of stuff together so my managers, who also manage G, brought it up and thought it would be a good fit. He is in the dark alternative world and is an amazing producer and artist so I was super stoked to do the session. This song came out of our first session together actually. I came in with the concept and the hook and knew Goody would kill a verse on it.
And the music video is super cinematic – what did you want to convey with the visuals?
Thank you. I really wanted to take people into the world of Wild in this video. The song is about a push and pull dynamic between partners in a troubled but passionate relationship. The idea was that Goody’s character would act as the foil to my character and vice versa. Using the beaming light and hard shadows to juxtapose us visually and represent the division between us. I wanted to convey the feeling of being in the same space physically but still remaining emotionally blocked off. The Place Beyond the Pines is one of my favourite films of all time and I used that as a reference for the world I wanted to enter here.
What was the most fun part about filming? And what was the most challenging with restrictions in place?
This was my first real music video shoot ever so that in itself was extremely exciting. The location and wardrobe were just perfect and everything really just fell into place that day. Some of my best friends also shot and directed the video which made the whole experience so enjoyable. Shoutout Eddie Mandell, Cade Laranang, Nick Scully, Mitchell Zaic, Sean Lewow and the Ourros team. We really lucked out in that the date of this shoot was days before lockdown began. If that hadn’t been the case I don’t know what would have happened so I am forever grateful that the timing of that worked out in our favour.