Rosalie James channels her newly discovered neurodiversity into “Soft Target,” a spirited, dreamy indie rock anthem for the “over-sensitive drama queens” and the standout single off her upcoming debut album, ‘Full of Chemicals.’
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Stream: “Soft Target” – Rosalie James
This song isn’t “made” for me, but as someone who never really felt like he fit in with most people, “Soft Target” is utterly exhilarating – if not straight-up empowering.
Rosalie James’ latest single is a spirited, dreamy indie rock anthem for the “over-sensitive drama queens” (her words) – a sonically and emotionally charged song written after she received a neurodivergent diagnosis well until adulthood, reflecting on past and present experiences and all the feelings that came with them. The multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter from Cornwall, UK channels the spirits of Fleetwood Mac and The Killers as she declares herself a “soft target – and you know it, harder on the outside.”
Had a dream about the seventies
Where no-one locked their doors
at night
and we fight like fleas
Baby never knows what she’s going to get
A birthday party, a chemistry set
Hey paranoia, shark in the water,
silver loving daughter on every street
We live, forever tangled in the never
try to love a little bit anyway
And you said something about loss
and crying on the inside
I’m a soft target and you know it,
harder on the outside
They’re still using the same signs
caught me on the flipside
I’m a soft target and you know it
“I grew up not knowing I was autistic,” James tells Atwood Magazine. “I knew I was awkward, difficult, obsessive and couldn’t stand loud noises, tight clothes or people breathing near me. I had no common sense and couldn’t tell my left from right. I walked into doors. I could put my legs around my neck. I couldn’t understand why I didn’t get the things I wanted in exactly the way I wanted them, and when I didn’t get them I made a scene and then I hated myself for it. I was terrified most of the time and thought I was a psychopath because I didn’t feel love or affection in the way other people did. I had stomach aches every day and I cried about cartoon animals. I watched Three Men And A Baby over 200 times. I had a strange relationship with the truth and I habitually self-medicated. They said I’d end up alone.”
“But it’s not just me. ‘Soft Target’ is for the lost generations of women who weren’t diagnosed as neurodivergent because they just seemed A LOT. It’s for the ‘over-sensitive drama queens’ who attracted people that liked us a little crazy and vulnerable but had nothing to give us. I’m still awkward and difficult and scared of balloons. I lost a career and I’m full of chemicals. It’s not an excuse, but it’s an explanation – and I’m not alone. We’re not alone.”
Talk of doing the impossible
But it’s Tuesday night
and we’re all full of chemicals
Take my boyfriend like a sedative
We used to be so difficult to live with
Oh pleonasm, tiny little chasm,
now the future has them on every street
We fuel the fire, Z for Zachariah,
neighbour’s got a bunker – it’s six feet deep
You said something about loss
and crying on the inside
I’m a soft target and you know it,
harder on the outside
I’m the first one
you’ll find sleeping on a landslide
I’m a soft target and you know it
Released April 17, 2024 via Awkward Lion Records, “Soft Target” is the second single (following March’s “Girl I Was”) taken off James’ forthcoming debut album, Full of Chemicals (out this June). Taking its title from the second verse of “Soft Target,” is an autobiographical diary channeling James’ struggles – with neurodiversity, toxic relationships, addiction, and mental health – into deeply cathartic and cinematic songs.
“Soft Target” is a passionate, powerful mission statement for both the album and the artist – a memorable introduction to all those just discovering Rosalie James, establishing her as a fearless and unapologetic voice happy to speak her truths, confront her demons, and share her full, unfiltered self in song.
Consider me an instant and lifelong Rosalie James fan.
Why does everybody look the same
Why does everybody look the same
And I’m surrounded by
mid-century furniture again
You said something about loss
and crying on the inside
I’m a soft target and you know it,
harder on the outside
It’s so perfect the way you climb,
I’m building us an empire
I’m a soft target and you know it…
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Stream: “Soft Target” – Rosalie James
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© Julie Minichova
© Julie Minichova
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