LA trio Trousdale come into their own on their triumphant sophomore LP ‘Growing Pains,’ blending bold vulnerability with lush three-part harmonies and live energy to craft a breathtakingly honest album that turns life’s messiest moments into radiant folk-pop gold. In this exclusive track-by-track feature, the band dive into the stories, emotions, and experiences that shaped all twelve of these sun-kissed songs.
Stream: “Growing Pains” – Trousdale
There’s a moment in growing up when ambition collides headlong with exhaustion, when chasing dreams feels like racing endlessly toward a finish line that keeps drifting just beyond reach.
“All work and it’s no play,” sing Trousdale in the achingly relatable anthem “Growing Pains,” perfectly capturing that exhilarating yet draining tension of pushing forward through life’s hardest moments. It’s in these raw reflections, delivered through sunlit melodies and crystalline harmonies, that Trousdale truly shine – turning life’s hurdles into warm, reassuring songs that resonate deeply, reminding us we’re never alone in the chaos of becoming who we want to be.
Blending sun-soaked harmonies with an irresistible pop sensibility, Trousdale continue to dazzle listeners with their radiant folk-pop energy. The LA-based trio of. Georgia Greene, Lauren Jones, and Quinn D’Andrea are brighter and bolder than ever on their sophomore album Growing Pains, diving headfirst into the complexities of adulthood, ambition, and emotional authenticity with equal parts charm and churn. With soulful melodies and earnest lyricism, the band thoughtfully navigates universal experiences, illuminating the tension between aspiration and reality, passion and burnout, and heartbreak and healing.
Growing Pains ultimately encapsulates the beautiful paradox of personal evolution: Growth is rewarding, but rarely without struggle.
I feel it in my knees
Catching up to me each morning
I’m proud of how far I’ve come
But there’s a long, long way to go
So, I run the extra mile
And I do it with a smile, no problem
I may not win the race, but
Steady and slow
I’m making it through the tough times
When it feels like I’ve been burning out
Trying to build up the muscle
So the hustle doesn’t pull me down
And I know that I should
be seeing all the good
But it’s all work, and it’s no play
And there’s too many growing pains
– “Growing Pains,” Trousdale
Released April 11th via Zula Records, Growing Pains arrives on the heels of Trousdale’s critically acclaimed 2023 debut, Out of My Mind. Their first album was praised as a “sun-kissed collection of songs that perfectly marries the ‘catchy’ with the ‘cathartic’” – marking the band as a distinctive voice in modern folk-pop, with a penchant for rich vocal harmonies, sweet, soaring melodies, and achingly vulnerable, honest, and confessional songwriting. Out of My Mind laid a strong foundation, showcasing Trousdale’s intuitive synergy, infectious musicality, and lyrical depth – all qualities that resonated deeply with audiences and critics alike.
Building on that momentum, Growing Pains captures a more mature, self-assured, and still very sun-soaked Trousdale.
With a live-recorded approach spearheaded by producer and collaborator John Mark Nelson, the album embraces a warmer, more organic sound than its predecessor. This evolution in their artistry highlights the trio’s growth – not only as musicians and songwriters, but also as individuals navigating life’s complexities. It’s an album crafted from lived experiences, hard-earned lessons, and genuine reflections.
“Growing Pains is a collection of our favorite songs that we’ve written over the past couple of years,” Quinn D’Andrea tells Atwood Magazine. “The overall theme really started to take shape once we wrote the title track. We’re all perfectionists, and are always pushing ourselves to get to that next level. It’s amazing and inspiring, and yet there’s a flip side of that coin where you can push yourself too hard. This album is full of hard truths and how to move through them.”
In addition to embracing deeper emotional terrain, Trousdale set out to capture the unfiltered energy and intimacy of their live performances. One of the most common pieces of feedback they received while touring Out of My Mind was how much their fans loved the live show—even more than the record itself. “This is such a huge compliment for us, but at the same time, it made us curious about how we could make our studio recordings better,” D’Andrea explains.
Buoyed by audiences’ responses to their live show, the trio decided to take a more “live” approach to their second album – working with John Mark Nelson to capture that on-stage spark. Operating with a renewed sense of intention and spontaneity, they recorded the bulk of the album live to tape.
“Before going into the studio at all, we had rehearsals with our studio band to nail-down a rough outline of the arrangements we wanted for each song,” D’Andrea recalls. “Then, we tracked drums, bass and electric guitar at the same time so that we could get a more groovy, organic feel. Almost the entire record was tracked this way, and we think it makes for a more cohesive-sounding body of music.”
The result is a body of work that feels vibrant and alive – an album that pulses with the same kinetic spark that’s made Trousdale’s concerts so beloved. Where Out of My Mind introduced their signature blend of harmony-rich storytelling and heart-on-sleeve songwriting, Growing Pains builds on that foundation with greater urgency, cohesion, and emotional gravity. The band sound freer, more connected, and more confident in their delivery—leaning into raw energy, trusting their instincts, and letting the songs breathe. This isn’t a reinvention, but a natural progression: A coming-into-their-own that finds Trousdale sounding more at home in themselves than ever before.
“I see Growing Pains as the older sister to Out Of My Mind,” Lauren Jones says. “She’s a little more mature and is coming into her own. Our number one goal as Trousdale is to continue creating and releasing songs that we love, and I think Growing Pains is simply the next chapter in that story. I don’t really consider Growing Pains to be a reintroduction – more like another chance for people to hop on board the train.”
There’s a warmth and candor that permeates Growing Pains, a record the band candidly describe as “soulful, earnest, and joyful – with an oaky after-taste.”
That last part might be a tad tongue-in-cheek, but the sentiment isn’t: This album has a grounded richness to it, shaped by years of growth, mistakes, and the unrelenting pursuit of something meaningful.
“Pretty quickly after writing ‘Growing Pains,’ I had this gut-feeling that it was going to be the title of our second album,” Jones shares. “We’ve been seriously working at this band for about five years now, and we’ve had this really beautiful and organic journey of always getting a little better, a little bigger, every year. We’ve also made a lot of mistakes, and had some really tough times. All those moments of joy, sadness, and perseverance over the past couple years just felt like they culminated so well into this idea of growing pains.”
As the album’s lead single, title track, and opening number, “Growing Pains” sets the tone with unflinching honesty and radiant charm. Sweet, sassy, and sun-soaked, it’s a quintessential Trousdale track – brimming with bold melodies, heartfelt lyricism, and a sense of camaraderie that’s as palpable as it is powerful. “This song was about what we feel every day in this band, what we’re going through as a band,” Georgia Greene explains. “This is our shared experience, being exhausted but finding beauty together.” That duality – of passion and burnout, of joy and overwhelm – is at the heart of this song and the album it ushers in.
“‘Growing Pains’ is about living the dream while acknowledging that the dream can be pretty hard sometimes,” Lauren Jones adds. It’s a rallying cry for resilience wrapped in an infectious, cathartic anthem: A welcome into an album that embraces both the chaos and clarity of coming into one’s own.
Trousdale continue to navigate life’s emotional spectrum with grace, grit, and unapologetic candor. Growing Pains moves fluidly through highs and lows, pairing catharsis with levity and heartbreak with hope.
Highlights include the spirited, sun-kissed earworm “Over and Over” – a biting post-breakup anthem that channels the glossy ache of early Haim – alongside the beautifully brooding “Want Me Back,” a vulnerable reckoning with longing and loss. The country-pop-tinged “Secondhand Smoke” is one of the album’s – and the band’s – heaviest moments, exploring the collateral damage of loving someone who’s battling their own demons.
“It dives into the emotional weight of being in an abusive relationship and the devastating push-and-pull it creates,” D’Andrea says. “For us, this song is about loving someone who is battling their own destructive traits—traits that are slowly harming not just them, but also you. The metaphor of secondhand smoke reflects how their pain and actions seep into your life… Ultimately, it’s about facing the hard truth that you can’t save someone who won’t save themselves—and the courage it takes to walk away from the fire before it consumes you both.”
That ache fits seamlessly into the defiant and uplifting “Don’t Tell Me,” whose opening lines, “I’m crawlin’ up out of the black hole, I’m stepping outside of your shadow” herald a beautiful, hard-won moment of breathtaking empowerment and clarity. Truly, each track off Growing Pains adds dimension to the album’s arc, capturing the turbulence of young adulthood through Trousdale’s signature blend of heart, harmony, and honesty.
As for personal favorites, Lauren Jones points to both lyrical and emotional standouts. “‘Sleeping At The Wheel’ has always felt really personal to me,” she shares. “‘Lonely Night’ is my jam when I just need to put on something fun that makes me forget about my anxieties. It’s hard to pick – all of these songs are our favorites!” Lyrically, she gravitates toward the poetic poignancy of “Last Bloom,” a quiet, contemplative moment of closure and transformation tucked near the album’s end: “‘…when the last bloom falls, when the ending calls / you just cut where the first flower grew / so what it was will grow into something new.’”
Growing Pains may be rooted in hardship, but it blossoms with light, grace, and generosity. From anthemic declarations to intimate, stripped-down moments, the album invites listeners to see themselves in its songs. For Georgia Greene, Lauren Jones, and Quinn D’Andrea, certain moments resonate on a deeper level – snapshots of vulnerability, reflection, and renewal that capture the album’s emotional core.
With Growing Pains, Trousdale have created more than a worthy follow-up to their debut; they’ve carved out a deeper, richer space in the folk-pop landscape – one that embraces vulnerability, honors emotional truth, and invites listeners to grow alongside them. It’s a fearless, feel-everything kind of album: One that doesn’t promise answers, but offers solace in the asking. As Trousdale continue their journey, this collection stands as both a milestone and a mirror – reflecting where they’ve been, and lighting the way forward.
“I hope listeners fall in love with these songs,” D’Andrea smiles. “I hope they find something honest in them, maybe something surprising in a satisfying kind of way. The process of making Growing Pains taught me that making an album in a low-stress way is possible, and also SO much fun. I feel like we still have so much left to say, and that we’re just getting started.”
From anthemic highs to gut-wrenching lows, Growing Pains is a raw, radiant reckoning of selfhood, resilience, and growth. Below, Trousdale take us deeper into the stories behind each song, reflecting on the moments, memories, and meaning that brought their sophomore album to life. Listen to the full record below and join us for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes, track-by-track journey through Trousdale’s sophomore album.
Growing Pains is out now wherever you stream music!
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:: stream/purchase Growing Pains here ::
:: connect with Trousdale here ::
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Stream: ‘Growing Pains’ – Trousdale
:: Inside Growing Pains ::
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“Growing Pains”
Lauren: The idea for this song came about pretty naturally by discussing one of our favorite subjects: how exhausted we are. It really is so disorienting at times to have a career that is your passion, but also your work. Your boundaries are constantly being pushed and pulled, and you’re always willing to put-in the overtime because you care so much. Over time, this can really start to look like burn out if you’re not careful. “Growing Pains” is about living the dream while acknowledging that the dream can be pretty hard sometimes.
“Over and Over”
Georgia: As soon as John Mark Nelson brought this song idea to us, we knew it was special. There’s never a good time to run into your ex , and it’s even worse when they’re bragging about how well they’re doing now. It’s a gut punch to hear the “good news” because you can’t help but wonder, “are they doing so well now that they’re without me?” We were thrilled that John Mark invited us to finish writing about that universally unsavory experience.
“Lonely Night”
Lauren: Have you ever been in a funk, and realized that you’ve been keeping yourself in it, wallowing in self-pity? “Lonely Night” is about making the decision to pull yourself out of that funk. There’s so much power in self-messaging, and sometimes the push you need can come from within!
“Want Me Back”
Georgia: This song was written about wishing someone missed you. We were inspired by Lady A’s “What If I Never Get Over You” and those feelings of longing that come with breakups. So many questions are left- “how could someone who used to love me change their mind? Was it easy for them to leave? How come they haven’t said they want me back?” It’s terribly lonely missing someone who might not be missing you the same way, and we aimed to capture those emotions in this song.
“Death Grip”
Georgia: This song is about being held captive by questions. In our experience, not having closure can make it almost impossible to move on from something. We tend to use coping mechanisms (sometimes unhealthy ones) when there is something in our lives that is hard to process. “Death Grip” is us reflecting on a relationship, good or bad, and wondering, “if I had closure, would I be able to let this go?”
“Secondhand Smoke”
Quinn: “Secondhand Smoke” is a song that dives into the emotional weight of being in an abusive relationship and the devastating push-and-pull it creates. For us, this song is about loving someone who is battling their own destructive traits—traits that are slowly harming not just them, but also you. The metaphor of secondhand smoke reflects how their pain and actions seep into your life, leaving you as collateral damage. It’s a song about wrestling with the impossible decision to leave someone you love in order to save yourself, even though it feels like abandonment. Ultimately, it’s about facing the hard truth that you can’t save someone who won’t save themselves—and the courage it takes to walk away from the fire before it consumes you both.
“Don’t Tell Me”
Georgia: We wrote this song with Mags Duval and Adam Yaron- we wanted to write an empowering song about getting over someone and not wanting them to keep pulling you back in. It’s our grown up anthem about when you’ve finally had enough back and forth with someone- they’ve hurt you, you’ve given them so many chances and you’re no longer going to believe their lies! It’s about that moment of clarity when all you want to say is I can see right through you, buddy so “don’t tell me you love me to keep me from leaving.”
“Warm Shoulder, Cold Heart”
Georgia: This song was written during an extremely blindsiding breakup. One week after the breakup, we had a session with Davis that we almost canceled because the feelings were so fresh, but we decided to keep the session and use the emotion as songwriting fuel. This song was written specifically about the overwhelming feelings that come when someone you love and trust deeply hurts you. Breakups take time to process and in the beginning stages, it’s human to want to characterize someone as cold hearted even though they’re the one you love and want back. It was written in the heat of these emotions, and can apply to any feelings of loss/shock. We hope this song makes anyone going through this feel safe and understood. This song is personal for me and says so many things that I felt but didn’t know I wanted to say. Coping with these emotions is extremely lonely and painful- that’s why writing and performing this song in Trousdale has been deeply healing for me. Having Lauren and Quinn empathize with my experience and offer love and support through music touches my soul. And to anyone going through a terrible breakup, you’re not alone, give it time, write about it, dance about it, talk about it, whatever heals you. I promise, you will heal stronger than you were before.
“Sleeping At The Wheel”
Lauren: I have a terrible tendency of getting incredibly sleepy when I have to make a long drive. One of these drives was on the way to a session, and so this song title was born! The song that followed ended up feeling pretty personal to me. Apathy is a pretty common side-effect for people that experience depression, and I’d say that’s the central theme of “Sleeping At The Wheel.” Oftentimes, apathy is a coping mechanism to deal with overwhelming feelings of fear and anxiety. It’s something that will pass, but can be alarming when you experience it. I hope this song resonates with people and gives them a place to land when they’re dealing with those intense feelings.
“Save Me”
Georgia: Another one started by the incredible John Mark Nelson. At a previous writing session, we told him about some guy who wouldn’t stop mansplaining music to Quinn on the plane. This song focuses on those people who love to teach you and expect you to listen, even if you really could teach them something. It’s what we wish we could say, so of course, we sing it.
Quinn: Just want to add for the sake of complaining that this man literally sat next to me for 7 HOURS and gave me unsolicited advice on how to make it in the music industry. He was NOT in the music industry, had never heard one of our songs, and literally knew nothing about anything. But somehow everything I was saying managed to be incorrect. I was digging my nails into my palms for maybe 6 of those 7 hours. I bit my tongue for the most part so hearing John Mark’s start for this song and then us finishing it together and recording it was so satisfying.
“Vertigo”
This song started with a short snippet that Lauren sent to us. She was singing something similar to what is now the chorus, but the lyrics started with, “I’m so tired, where did all my money go.” A classic Trousdale start if you ask me. She had the line “I got this feeling, similar to vertigo” within that original start, and it was a line that we all became really attached to. It ended up being the center point that we molded the full song around. We had, again, the wonderful John Mark Nelson come in and help us finish this one up. The song is about chasing your dreams – running blindly into new challenges, new experiences, new adventures, and leaning into the unknown. We often feel like we are just sprinting full speed ahead into an unpredictable future. But we’re all so determined to put in the time and effort and love into our music that whatever comes our way next, we’ll keep pushing.
“Last Bloom”
Quinn: “Last Bloom” is a quiet reflection on the beauty of endings and the promise of renewal. The song began in early 2022 while we were working on other music at Lauren’s apartment in Glendale. She was trimming her plants and mentioned something about orchids—how when the last petal falls, you’re supposed to cut back the stem at the first flower spike to encourage it to bloom again. The idea struck me, and I yelled, “that’s a song lyric!”— something we often shout at each other in conversation. That night, I went home and started writing. The song became a metaphor for growth: letting go of what no longer serves us so something new can take root. As a brief interlude on the album, it offers a breath between the fuller, more layered tracks—a moment to pause and reset. Its imagery of clearing away the mud and cutting back what’s no longer vibrant mirrors the process of releasing past mistakes and regrets, making space for transformation. It’s a reminder that even in the coldest moments, renewal is always possible, and from what was, something new can always grow.
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© Alex Lang
© Alex LangGrowing Pains
an album by Trousdale
