Caroline Rose - Loner Album Review
Coming in with her third album, Caroline Rose makes a bombastic return on Loner, a new-wave influenced indie rock bop of an album that entrances the listener and leaves them with in an abstract state of mind. It appears to be something rare - an album with euphoric sounds that can entrance the listener right from the beginning, with lyrics and songwriting to boot that make it an interesting and notable release.
Loner has a runtime of about 35 minutes, and with it comes hypnotic vocals from Rose, as well as a lot of instances of fast-paced percussion and guitar riffs that would normally be found in the classic days of new-wave. In addition, there’s a lot of electronic sounds put into the mix, as seen on songs such as “Cry!” and “Bikini” respectively. It’s a lot to take in, but it is mixed wonderfully and has a lot of care put into to it to keep the combination from overwhelming the listener. Instead, it keeps the energy pumping, providing an enigmatic feeling that is positively oriented. It’s a lot of sounds that mix together well to create a fun, if unusual, album.
However, for some, this may prove to be too much. There are some tracks where it seems that there are little to no forward momentum, such as “Jeannie Becomes a Mom”. It tries to replicate what other tracks on the album have done, but loses its initial footing. These misplaced tracks can take the listener out of the trance that the album sets up. While still good, there are a handful of awkward bumps like this that affects the flow of the entire album.
Rose’s efforts here are comparable with artists such as Marina and the Diamonds and Florence + the Machine. Loner is a smorgasbord of different types of music at once, while also sticking to a central theme around Rose’s charisma and lively production. Rose does a phenomenal job of branding her own mark and style into the efforts by similar artists before her.
Rose is not only an artist that should be watched, but an artist that deserves a lot of credit for what she has made. Besides a handful of missteps that can be easily overlooked, there is a lot of fun to be had throughout the duration of Loner. While it’s purposefully in-cohesive, it serves the album well in its effort to put as much life and time were into each and every song. Rose’s lyrics are smart and clever, and will leave an impression on the listener long after it’s finished. With a strong opening, a powerful middle and a loud ending, Rose has not only made her first footing in the genre of new-wave and indie rock, but has pushed some of the boundaries set by previous artists as well. This is an artist that needs to be listened to, one that delivers on multiple fronts to create one of the most exciting albums of the year.
Rating: 8/10
Jack Grossman is a sophomore majoring in telecommunications. To contact him, email jackdgrossman@gmail.com.
