ROZET’s hypnotic and enthralling new single “Cake Face” proves a powerful soundtrack to fostering healthy boundaries, balancing life online and offline, and taking time alone to be with and prioritize ourselves.
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Stream: “Cake Face” – ROZET
When I isolate myself from people and my phone is when I actually have a chance to download and process what I have learned and infuse my music with it. Without that time period, I’d show up as a glitching person.
We used to text “brb,” or “be right back,” when we didn’t have time to engage with someone right away. It was the messaging equivalent of a door left ajar – closed, but only temporarily – and everyone understood what it meant. You’d come back, eventually, and pick up where you left off. Nowadays, it seems like all our doors are expected to be flung wide open: There’s a pressure to be constantly “on” for our loved ones when they need us, no matter the urgency, the time of day or what we’re doing. Whether it’s a funny meme or a cry for help, our phones will buzz someone into our lives with lightning-fast speed. It’s as if we’re never alone – and we’ll never be alone, again.
Perhaps, for all of our sakes, it’s time to bring back “brb”: To remind ourselves, and the world at large, that we each need some time alone in order to become the best possible version of ourselves. You can find plenty of conversations and journalistic articles about this online, in forums, and on social media, but sometimes the best way to say it is to sing it: Indie artist ROZET’s hypnotic and enthralling new single “Cake Face” proves a powerful soundtrack to fostering healthy boundaries, balancing life online and offline, and taking time alone to be with, and prioritize, ourselves.
These days, they only know me
When I’m on the telephony
These days, everybody falls in line
We’ve made this conversation friendly
Ain’t it lonely in that paper Bentley?
God forsake you choose to live another life
You’d be
Out of sight, out of mind…
Fall in line
Independently released September 17, 2021, “Cake Face” arrives this fall as ROZET’s third overall song, and the latest single off her forthcoming debut EP, Torso Tales – described as “a seven track audio-visual project interwoven with stories and captivating visuals” (originally set for release last fall, and now expected sometime this fall). The artist moniker for Katrina Rose Tandy, ROZET is a talented multi-hyphenate and one of Atwood Magazine’s 2021 artists to watch. Born in Miami and now based in Texas, her first two singles released last year (March’s “Phantom City” and October’s “RIGAMAROLE”) immediately established her as an exciting, unique standout – one with a voice, a vision, and the ability to mold those two together at will.
In reviewing the urgent, charged song “RIGAMAROLE” (stylized in all capital letters) late last year, Atwood Magazine praised ROZET for delivering “a dramatic outpouring of frustration and stunning, razor-sharp electro-R&B,” going on to declare the song “a soundtrack to 2020’s vicious cycle of inequity, injustice, and inaction.”
“Cake Face” introduces a softer, sweeter, and no less stirring side of ROZET’s artistry. Building steadily to an effervescent, climactic release, the new single employs hand claps and ethereal, layered vocal harmonies to create a sense of scale and wonder within the song. “God forsake you choose to live another life,” ROZET sings at the transition from the first verse to chorus, “You’d be out of sight, out of mind; out of sight, out of mind…” Refusing to conform to society’s pressures – and giving us the tools to do the very same – is just one of the many ways in which ROZET directly inspires her audience.
As “Cake Face” grows, it implores us to think critically and deeply about what it means to “show up” for those we care about the most. Does support mean ever-present, or can our relationships be more nuanced and complex than that? Can we live in a world where you’re not “out of sight, out of mind“? Or is that a rhetorical question?
These days, they only want me
When I’m up for matrimony
To make sure nobody else will have my time
Oh, your cheap taste all thеse girls be cloning
Cake facе, empty testimony
Why don’t we show the people that we’re one of a kind?
‘Cause we’d be
Out of sight, out of mind…
Fall in line
Speaking with Atwood Magazine, ROZET explains that “Cake Face” is a testament, or rather a tribute, to a more present and mindful lifestyle. It’s about “remembering a time when sending feelings and emotions was through the mail and it took days sometimes weeks to arrive at someone else’s door. Then they’d have time to process that before responding. To give an emotionally regulated response. Now I feel there is sometimes shame associated with non-rapid responses and not showing up to support is associated with laziness or being inconsiderate. I get like, “Yos Sometimes I just battle feeling paralyzed due to other challenges internally.” Imagining the feeling of being off grid and untraceable, and how that could also be included in the conversations of success, talent, and health.”
She adds, “When I isolate myself from people and my phone is when I actually have a chance to download and process what I have learned and infuse my music with it. Without that time period, I’d show up as a glitching person. I would have no energy to contribute and to me, essentially my mission here on earth is to respond to the times through my artful passions, through the lens of sustainability and wellness. I want to surround myself with people who encourage me to take 10 minutes to tap into that – to take a break – and [know] that I will still be remembered and just as priority if I do.”
“Cake Face” offers more than just symbolic hope for turning off and tuning out the noise and distractions: Its lyrics, alongside ROZET’s expressive, radiant performance (and her thoughtful words), provide a blueprint for making time for ourselves. Sure, nothing is perfect – and we may find ourselves wondering what we’re missing; perhaps we’ll fade from some minds – but if our immediate absence causes that swift and radical a shift, then perhaps we didn’t belong in those friendships to begin with. Perhaps they weren’t worth our time or energy.
Rozet’s compelling bridge and finale create a mesmerizing, seductive space for further introspection and exploration of our physical and virtual surroundings:
Is it too much, is it too much, is it too much?
To be human, without a tuneup, am I a loser?
Is it too much, is it too much, is it too much?
To be a puñta, with shoes on, be a chooser
I want a man, I mean a woman, no a human
Why don’t you take a stance? Tell ’em queue up the abusers
Make ‘em famous so we all know the accusers
Is it too much, is it too much, to be human?
Are you focused on the moment? Are you snoozing?
Are you focused on the moment? Are you snoozing?
Are you focused on the moment? Are you snoozing?
Are you in the moment? In the moment
Are you in the moment? In the moment
Are you in the moment? In the moment
Humans were not designed to be in constant motion; it’s okay to turn off once in a while. How we choose to live each day is up to us, but maybe it’s time to revive “be right back,” and normalize expectations so that it’s okay and acceptable to “brb.” Take a tip from ROZET, and nurture yourself, and remember that it’s not selfish or inconsiderate to need some time alone.
Alongside her song, ROZET released a dazzling self-directed music video in early October starring herself and six other actors and actresses. The very end of this must-watch visual experience airs a message: “Not every injury is visible.” Take these words to heart. ROZET may still be a “fresh” and “new” artist, but her wisdom goes well beyond her years, and her art is self-aware, empowered, and deliberate. She remains one of the brightest sparks on the indie music scene, and we still cannot wait for Torso Tales‘ (hopefully) forthcoming release.
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Stream: “Cake Face” – ROZET
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