Fans and friends alike gathered at New York City’s Slipper Room to celebrate the release of one of the year’s best albums, Rose Paradise’s debut LP ‘Over the Hill.’
Stream: ‘Over the Hill’ – Rose Paradise
A spotlight hits a real-life siren: Wavy hair cascading, draped in a crochet poncho and adorned with felt flowers. Her melodious lilt and booming range draw us in.
It’s no wonder fans call Rose Paradise a mermaid – she drips with her own way of life, one she cultivated back home on the west coast. Though we’re gathered on the Lower East side, in a venue that feels like 1700s England, there’s the distinct taste of Northern California in the air.
The first track of the night is “Tangerine,” which we covered last June for its bittersweet wisdom and undeniable melody. Like all of Paradise’s music, it echoes the folk revival era of the ‘60s with vintage influences and modern sensibility.
“The cliff’s gonna have to come down one day, everything will erode away. Like the moon it waxes, the moon it wanes. Everything has got to change.”
The crowd is captivated by the simple sight of Rose and her guitar. Then the second verse hits. The curtain parts. An eight-piece folk band emerges – slide guitar, salt-of-the-earth backup singers. Chills.
For Paradise, there’s no better muse than the fragile surfing town she hails from. It’s so close to her heart that she convinced her band to travel across the country last summer to record it in her home studio.
The vibe coding of this release party is immaculate – overhead, her hometown moon and stars swaying on strings, a reference to the puppet-themed music video for her most recent release.
One of the catchiest tracks off the album, “Grey” is an upbeat song about a downer of a boy. It’s clear Paradise has no problem writing danceable music to somber subjects.
As she shares the stories behind the songs, I remember seeing her for the first time at Rockwood Music Hall and hearing the story behind her single, “Set Wave.” A song about catching a wave, the melody had come to her while floating on her longboard. Determined not to lose it, she sang it over and over until she got back to shore.
“And I’ll wait for the set wave. I’ll wait for the big one. I’ll wait until it’s over to tell you I’m in love. And I’ll wait for you to come around.”
Paradise’s writing is top tier. Her melodies stick with you and her lyrics remind you to feel things. But her vocal range is what you’ll notice first – one of my favorite parts of any Rose Paradise show is when she unleashes her signature guttural roar, letting the crowd know exactly what you’re dealing with – something you’ve never heard before.
In New York’s indie scene, there’s a feeling that our friends will be stars one day. But no one feels more destined for that than Rose Paradise. And with a name like that, it seems her parents knew what they were doing.
Independently released April 8, Over the Hill is freckled with hits from top to bottom.
Spanning 12 tracks and two coasts, the album takes us on a tour of today’s Americana. Some tracks make you want to kick off your boots and stomp in the grass, others, like “Now That You Know,” make you rue anyone who would do her wrong. The melodies are visceral and vibrant. The lyrics are rich and revealing.
When Rose sings, you visualize the words slowly falling from her curving lips. Listeners don’t just hang on her words; they breathe them. Not since Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros has folk felt so euphoric.
If you haven’t yet, it’s time to stop and listen to the Rose. (Her next show is on May 20th at Ray’s.)
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:: stream/purchase Over the Hill here ::
:: connect with Rose Paradise here ::
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© Hellen Elizondo
© Hellen Elizondo:: Stream Rose Paradise ::
