Have you ever listened to a song so out-of-this-world funky that it literally drags your gyrating body back in time, onto the set of the 1977 John Travolta classic Saturday Night Fever? I know it sounds crazy, but that’s what happened as I played Caroline Rose’s new album Superstar, which just dropped last Friday. To celebrate the new album, Caroline Rose is on tour with a Los Angeles concert date on June 27 at the Troubadour in West Hollywood.
While each track contains its own vibrant cinematic quality, the entirety of the record expresses itself like a film, with moments of meditation, conflict, climax, and character arc; it follows the story of the goofy maverick following their dreams – scored by neon synths and Caroline’s dreamy vocals.
Tracks previously released off the record include, “Freak Like Me”, a seductive lullaby accompanied by an atmospheric melody and distorted, groovy vibrations. Perhaps Superstar’ s greatest bop is its final pre-release single, “Do You Think We’ll Last Forever?”, which Caroline debuted on Late Night With Seth Meyers. This instant hit opens with a funky, hard-hitting bassline that trails the singer’s fears about love and relationships falling apart. The track’s buttery hook partnered with Caroline’s bubbly falsetto is impossible not to smile and groove to. And the arc: the chorus exhales a literal ticking love bomb and explodes into anthemic drums and belting vocals that absolutely send me.
Superstar is an ode to the eccentrics, the outcasts, the oddballs of 2020. Caroline’s thoughts behind the album: “When I started forming the narrative for Superstar, I knew I wanted the first half of the record to feel upbeat in order to mimic the narrator’s excitement in following this big dream,” says Rose. ‘Do You Think We’ll Last Forever?’ is one of these tracks that showcases the false bravado the character has, but also exposes a few more cracks in their veneer of self-confidence. The song is fun, but it’s also tense, like a rubber band that’s stretched until it snaps. It’s not a love song, but rather a song about the anxiety that comes with the excitement of potential love. Is this person falling for me too? Am I good enough? Are we on the same page? Anyone who’s had a passionate fling knows this feeling, so I tried to get across that the narrator is just like any other uncool person with anxiety issues.”
You heard her – just dance it out and do you, fellow weirdos!
Follow Caroline Rose’s journey on instagram @carolinerosemuzak and on twitter @carolineroseFM.
Last Friday, Caroline kickoffed a lengthy North American tour. The full list of dates are below. All tickets are on sale now.
Words: Jenna Dorn
Caroline Rose Tour Dates:
Fri. March 13 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
Sat. March 14 – Columbus, OH @ Skully’s
Wed. March 25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg Thu. March 26 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Fri. March 27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Sat. March 28 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
Wed. April 1 – Iowa City, IA @ Mission Creek Music Festival Thu. April 2 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom
Fri. April 3 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Sat. April 4 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Hall
Fri. April 24 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
Sat. April 25 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall: Upstairs Sun. April 26 – Austin, TX @ Antone’s
Tue. April 28 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
Wed. April 29 – Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry’s
Thu. April 30 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
Fri. May 1 – Sun. May 3 – Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Festival Wed. June 17 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird
Thu. June 18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ State Room
Fri. June 19 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
Sat. June 20 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Sun. June 21 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Wed. June 24 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
Fri. June 26 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
Sat. June 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
Words: Jenna Dorn Instagram
