‘Out of My Mind’ became the soundtrack to many a late summer last year, and with its deluxe edition, Trousdale’s debut album has earned itself more well-deserved time in the sun. The folk-pop trio dive deep into their spirited, sun-kissed deluxe LP in a candid track-by-track conversation.
Stream: “Bad Blood (live)” – Trousdale
One of the many beautiful things that comes with summertime is its soundtrack – that ever-changing rotation of songs that help us bask in the heat and soak up the sun.
Last year saw California folk-pop trio Trousdale staking their claim as a must-have entity on everyone’s respective playlists; the band spent the entire spring and summer of 2023 unveiling their highly anticipated debut album Out of My Mind, a sun-kissed collection of songs that perfectly marries the ‘catchy’ with the ‘cathartic’ – highlighting the band’s penchant for rich vocal harmonies, sweet, soaring melodies, and achingly vulnerable, honest, and confessional songwriting.
“This record is a collection of songs we wrote in LA and Nashville over the past few years. We chose the ones we loved most, the ones that best represented us, our story, and our message at that time,” explains Quinn D’Andrea, who leads Trousdale together with Georgia Greene and Lauren Jones. “Our goal was to create an emotional journey for listeners. The album touches on a wide range of feelings and experiences we’ve encountered – breakup pain and anger, the honeymoon phase of falling in love, revenge, anxiety, depression, taking control of our mental health, and allowing ourselves time to learn, make mistakes, and grow.”
D’Andrea, Greene, and Jones formed Trousdale as college students enrolled in the University of Southern California’s Popular Music program; the band’s name is actually an homage to Trousdale Parkway, the pedestrian roadway that runs through USC’s campus. They released their first song, a spellbinding cover of The Beach Boys’ “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” in late 2020, followed by their debut EP Look Around in the spring of 2021 and sophomore EP What Happiness Is later that same year.
“The indie folk trio’s catchy, driving music is a perfect companion to the transition from spring into summer,” Atwood Magazine wrote in an artist feature from early 2022. “Buoyant and bold, the sun-kissed What Happiness Is soaks in pools of radiant harmony and intimate connection as Trousdale come to life with infectious passion and inspiring energy.”
Trousdale’s music was already synonymous with the sun’s rays well before their debut LP, but the songs on Out of My Mind sealed the deal as the band – who also record and produced all the songs – put their special, uncanny ability to channel not just strong emotions, but a sense of heat, warmth, and light on full display.
“We originally had the idea to make a whole album after we finished our first two EPs. It somehow felt like the technical next step – you start with EPs, you move on to LPs, then deluxe, and then greatest hits of course,” D’Andrea laughs. “We took a writing trip out to Nashville and came home with a ton of new songs that we were excited about. We sat down with a huge plan, so many documents and excel spreadsheets and calendar deadlines and bullet points of music ideas and tracking notes and thought we were just gonna knock out the album song by song in the most epic and exciting way.”
“We learned so much from making Out Of My Mind,” Georgia Greene says, chiming in. “It’s one thing to write a song with three or more people, and it’s a whole other thing to combine all those visions and take the feeling of the songs when we first wrote them and bring that into the productions. We threw a lot of paint at the canvas and wanted to show the world what we could do as producers. There are so many different ways a song can come to life in a recording, and I think our goal was to follow what we felt like each song was asking for.”
“We still went through each song in an incredibly detailed manner, and really put our heart and souls into every single note and idea,” D’Andrea adds. “But it took us so much longer than we expected, and we learned so much about making an album from this one. We’re so proud of the end result, and we feel like it ended up coming together to be this cool and eclectic combination of songs because of all the different origins and collaborators. But we love that our vocals and our harmony and our songwriting still stand out as our through-line no matter what.”
If Out of My Mind served as the definitive introduction and assertion of Trousdale’s singular status as captivating vessels of light, love, passion, and so on, then their deluxe album, released ten months later, serves to celebrate, highlight, and expand upon all that made the initial record both unforgettable and irresistible.
Collaborations with Australian singer/songwriter Ben Abraham on “Sometimes” and NYC sibling trio BAILEN on “Movie Star” add fresh depth and charm to two of Out of My Mind’s sleeper hits, while a Sirius XM version of “Night Changes” and four live versions of songs recorded in LA (including a phenomenal cover of a beloved Fleetwood Mac classic!) showcase the sheer tenacity, euphoria, and strength of Trousdale’s live show.
“With the deluxe album, we wanted to reintroduce this project to our current listeners and anyone new to our music,” D’Andrea says. “As a band that thrives on live performances, we aimed to capture that energy and make it available for streaming. We were also thrilled to include features from two of our favorite artists and dear friends, BAILEN and Ben Abraham. We admire them and their music, and it was an honor to have their musical genius and unique perspectives on two of the album’s songs.”
You’re going right when I’m going left
You put me in drive just to break me again
Sometimes you’re cool, baby
Sometimes you’re hot
Sometimes you’re in love
And sometimes you’re not
Trousdale candidly describe their record as diverse, dynamic, and explorative; the title Out of My Mind is a tribute to the album’s cinematic, anthemic final song (of the same name), but it goes well beyond that – nodding to the wild journey it took them to get to this point, both in their own individual, personal lives, as well as their shared music career.
“Before we released the album, we started including some of its songs in our live sets. ‘Out Of My Mind’ quickly became the favorite closer for our shows. It felt like a perfect send-off for the audience, a huge celebration of our humanity and the fact that life goes on even when we make mistakes,” D’Andrea recalls. “The song ends with an epic build, making it an ideal conclusion for the album. We also loved ending the album with the lyrics, ‘get out!!’ It felt fitting. The title Out of My Mind resonates deeply with the journey of making this album. The process pushed us to our limits and led us through a whirlwind of emotions. We made mistakes, learned lessons, worked hard, and celebrated our achievements. This title encapsulates the essence of our experience.”
For all three bandmates, this album is so much more than an introduction of Trousdale; it is the sum of who they are – and as is often the case, the end result is so much greater than its parts.
“The process of making Out of My Mind was in and of itself a defining time for us as artists,” Lauren Jones says. “We learned so much about production and how to take a song from start to finish. I’m so proud of this body of work and I think it’s a great representation of one of our main goals as artists and producers: to serve the song. We were constantly asking ourselves that question throughout making the album. We are all somewhat genreless in our own musical tastes, and I think Out of My Mind is a true reflection of that.”
“I think we also learned that some songs need time to marinate and don’t have as clear of a production path, while others benefit from being produced out quickly after the writing process,” Greene adds. “Finding the balance of patience when something isn’t as clear and running with something quickly when it’s asking for it!”
Highlights abound on the journey from the spirited, high-energy opener “Bad Blood” to “Out of My Mind,” whose infectious, six-minute live version now acts as the album’s close – and packs a real punch in the process. Album singles like the soulful, groovy “If I’m Honest” and the heartrending ballad “If You’re Hurting” remain fan favorites in concert and online, while deeper cuts like the soaring anthem “Sometimes” and the country pop-tinged “Can’t Get Your Love Back” highlight the trio’s range and depth – in essence, their many colors.
All three members have plenty of favorite moments, as well as lyrics that continue to resonate with them to this day – a testament, if ever there were one, to just how meaningful this record is to artist and audience alike.
“‘Smart Iowa’ is definitely a favorite of mine; I’ve always been so moved by story-based songwriting and this song really takes me somewhere visually when we sing it or I listen to it. As the song was getting finished I was so inspired by it that I created the music video for the song,” D’Andrea says. “One of my favorite lyrics at the moment is from ‘Bad Blood’: ‘In the end all I have is some pictures saved, they mean everything but they won’t someday.’ Paired with the smashing of a picture frame in our music video definitely puts that lyric at the top for me!”
“I love ‘Go There’ because it was difficult to translate this song to a recording- we stuck with it and I feel so proud of how this song turned out,” Green says. “There are so many lyrics I love on this album, and lately I’ve grown more and more connected to ‘She don’t miss the roles she played, but she thinks about the stage from time to time.’ I think it captures that as touring musicians, we often have to play a role on stage to stay sane. As much as I’d love to always be fully connected and present on stage, it’s hard when there are so many factors – being on the road is taxing to the mind and body, dealing with sound difficulties and all the other things that might come up. I can imagine myself as an older woman looking back on this crazy life with admiration and pause.”
Meanwhile, Jones brings it back home to the album’s namesake. “‘Out Of My Mind’ was probably my favorite song to produce,” she says. “I don’t think any of us really realized the song’s potential when we first wrote it. It was so fun to keep peeling back the layers, so to speak, and take our time discovering the final presentation of the song.”
“One of my favorite lyrics on the album is from ‘Movie Star,’ because it so accurately describes how I feel about my loved ones, and the complex relationship I have with self-love and seeing myself clearly – ‘You’re famous to me, I’m trying to see I’m famous to you.’”
Out of My Mind became the soundtrack to many a late summer last year, and with its deluxe edition now out in the world, Trousdale’s debut has earned itself more well-deserved time in the sun.
Since they first formed at USC, the folk-pop band have packed their songs with warmth, infectious energy, and tender loving care. They spent this past June bringing their emotionally-packed songs to crowds throughout the US on their Still Out of My Mind tour (which included a kickoff set at Bonnaroo), and they’ll be continuing to bring these songs to crowds throughout North America this September while supporting Glen Hansard (tickets and more information here).
“More than anything, I hope people find joy in listening to Out Of My Mind,” Lauren Jones shares. “I hope it leaves them feeling seen and less alone in the world. And I hope it leaves them singing! Ideally with a bunch of their friends! It’s really been so cool to watch how people have taken these songs into their lives and stories. My favorite thing is to see a group of friends in the crowd at our shows – singing along and having a blast. We’ve also had quite a bit of a cappella or choir groups covering our songs, which is so cool to see. The idea that the music we’re writing could be the catalyst for someone to gather friends and sing or play an instrument is an incredible honor and something we didn’t see very often before starting to put music out.”
“I think the deluxe album breathes new life into the record, and gives our listeners a chance to revisit Out Of My Mind,” Georgia Greene adds. “When artists I love release deluxe albums, it always points me back to their initial album and I end up having new favorites! I’m most excited for our listeners to hear ‘Movie Star’ featuring BAILEN, because their take on it is just so beautiful.”
Experience the full record via our below stream, and peek inside Trousdale’s Out of My Mind (Deluxe) with Atwood Magazine as Quinn D’Andrea, Georgia Greene, and Lauren Jones take us track-by-track through the music and lyrics of their deluxe album!
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:: stream/purchase Out of My Mind (Deluxe) here ::
:: connect with Trousdale here ::
‘Out of My Mind (Deluxe)’ – Trousdale
:: Inside Out of My Mind ::
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“Bad Blood”
Quinn: “Bad Blood” started as two separate song ideas, with a verse from Georgia and a chorus co-created by Georgia and Lauren. We brought these pieces to our friends Ava Suppelsa and Tristan Bushman in Nashville, where we completed the song together. The track focuses on the aftermath of a breakup and the realization that it’s okay if things don’t end amicably. It recognizes that we don’t always have to pretend we’re over someone, but reassures that, with time, we will move past the pain. After the song was done we had a TON of fun creating the beginning concepts for the music video – it felt like a visual representation of all the things we imagined piling up emotionally during a relationship that are just too hard to part with until the time is right.
“If I’m Honest”
Lauren: “If I’m Honest” actually started as a little melodic rhythm I had after waking up some morning in August of 2021. The way I heard it in my head was more soul-inspired, kind of like something you would imagine Brittany Howard or The Decemberists on. We ended up bringing the start to a session we had with Jon Bellion and The Diner later that year, and the song took on a more pop-leaning sound. When we were finishing the album in 2023, the girls and I opened up the original session and infused some more organic elements back into the production, adding live drums and a horn section. We also had the incredible honor of having Cory Wong feature on electric guitar. All in all, it’s one of our most popular songs from the album to date and is such a blast to play live!
“Point Your Finger”
Georgia: Quinn had always wanted to use the line “same cut, different knife” and we thought our writing session with country icon Nathan Chapman was the perfect place for it. We wanted a sassy, Carrie Underwood style song. Nathan created a sick bed track the day of the session that felt very gritty and was the perfect bed for us to write “Point Your Finger.” We had so much fun arranging this song and it has become one of our favorites to play live.
“Movie Star”
Georgia: “Movie Star” started with an idea I had back in 2022. My girlfriend at the time and I were falling in love and we pulled over somewhere in LA at night to look at the city. We got out of the car, put on a song we both loved, and started dancing. I woke up the next day thinking about what I had just experienced and how special I was remembering it to be. I think I subconsciously started writing about how I wanted love to feel rather than how I felt that night. I also liked the idea of using movies to depict the element of make-believe in some relationships. There is something beautiful and melancholy about “I’m feeling like a movie star” and “I never thought I’d land the part” to me because while it implies feeling lucky and over the moon, it also implies auditioning and earning a role. I brought the start to Lauren, Quinn and John Mark Nelson to finish and we had a beautiful and memorable session diving into imagining the peak feelings of love in relationships. The production of this song was organic, it felt almost obvious to us and John Mark what this song was asking for and it was so special to pair the feelings with sounds. I love when a song can mean something different to each of us, and seeing how people react when we play it live has given the song a whole new meaning to me. Now, I hear it and think about any relationship where someone is making you feel supremely special. I’m so proud of how this song turned out and the way its meaning can change shape has made it one of my favorites off the record.
“Can’t Get Your Love Back”
Quinn: We wrote “Can’t Get Your Love Back with the incredible Jon Green. We had started a different song and took a break, and ended up jamming on the line that ended up being the song title. Something about it felt like the song had already existed – to the point where Georgia actually said something like “I love this song, what’s it called again?” We had a short laugh and then feverishly dove into writing the whole song after that. This one was one of the easiest songs to produce as well – it felt like the songwriting fully led the way for what was needed to complete the track.
“If You’re Hurting”
Lauren: As artists and performers, we have a platform to speak out. On tour, this platform is a literal one – the stage. I often find the experience of being on stage rather centering. It’s like a voice comes over me and says, “this is your chance to say something that matters – what’s it going to be?” That’s how “If You’re Hurting” was born. I’ve had a lot of struggles with mental health – anxiety and at times, depression. I remember being scared that I was never going to feel joy again. I’m happy to say that with the help of therapy, family and friends – I made it out of that darkness and am stronger for it. In early 2022, Trousdale had just begun playing shows again post-pandemic. The three of us were settling into our hotel room for the night, brushing our teeth and chatting about the show. “Wouldn’t Come Back” was really taking off at the time and we had been talking to our fans a lot about mental health. I wish there was a way to reach through that darkness for people – to grab them by the shoulders, shake them, and make them understand that it’s going to be okay. You won’t feel like this forever. We love you. You matter. “If You’re Hurting” is meant to be a lifeline – a flotation device for when you feel like you’re drowning. A light at the end of the tunnel.
“Sometimes”
Georgia: We wrote this song with Tofer Brown a few summers ago in Nashville. His vibe is undeniably hilarious and positive and we goofed around for a bit until landing on the idea of someone who just doesn’t know what they want. From what I can recall, we knocked out the song pretty quickly and the form was what took the longest. We thought it was clever to compare driving a car to a relationship – “you put me in drive just to brake me again.” We left the session feeling so accomplished and happy with the song, and there were so many sections we wanted to fit in but weren’t sure where everything was going to go. We didn’t quite land on the arc of the song until we played it live. The first time we performed it was as a trio opening for JP Saxe and the response from the crowd told us we had to put it on the album.
“For Months Now”
Quinn: We have been listening to The Three Of Us for quite some time now. All three of the writers in this group (Madi Diaz, Wrabel and Jamie Floyd) are masterful songwriters. “For Months Now” was a very frequently played song in the car on our drives, or screamed along to while hanging out. We covered it for an NPR live session, and got a great response from it. We originally weren’t planning to put this cover on the album. We posted on Instagram leading up to the announce for the album and accidentally used the title of this song in our caption and fans thought we had left an Easter egg and were soft launching the announce of this track being released, and we were all like “oh whoops…but like…should we maybe just do that actually..?”. So the fans actually came up with the idea.
“Go There”
Georgia: We wrote this right after we finished “If I’m Honest” – Tenroc and I were sitting on the floor and he started playing the guitar, strumming the chorus chord progression. I started riffing and goofing around over what he was playing, until we found something that was actually cool. I don’t think we took a voice memo, but the chorus idea was stuck in our heads the next morning so we showed it to the crew and they were as into it as we were. Out of nowhere, Jon Bellion knocked out the most epic pre chorus and we were so inspired that we kept chasing the song. The verses felt like they wanted to be sexy and passionate, and the bridge came together later that night starring the musical minds of Quinn and Clyde Lawrence guiding our arrangement. I’m pretty sure we had basically finished the song by the end of the night and got to recording the next morning! This was one of my favorite writing experiences for the album by far. The production was tricky – we all loved the song so much and we didn’t want to ruin it. We took a while, adding things and taking things out, and finally landed on something we are all really proud of. We always wanted to have a teenage Taylor Swift “You Belong With Me” kind of moment and we feel like we get that when the audience sings along to “MAKE OUT” at our live shows. You already know we are suckers for a climactic arrangement and that’s exactly what you get with “Go There”!
“Smart Iowa”
Georgia: We had a session with the legendary Natalie Hemby while we were on a writing trip in Nashville. In our AirBnb, we had started writing a totally different song with Natalie called “I just wanna pay rent and make a living.” As we were writing and singing it, Natalie pointed out that Lauren’s voice reminded her of Deb Talen, commonly known as a singer-songwriter in The Weepies. Lauren was honored as that is one of her idols and said something like “where is she now?” and Natalie said, “she got smart and moved to Iowa.” The room went quiet at the truth and complexity of that statement, and we said, “that’s the song.” We all immediately pivoted and followed the story of a woman who left her life in the big city for the joy and simplicity of a life in a small town. The meaning of this song felt familiar to us all- connecting to some universal desire to slow down. The lyrics spoke for themselves and when producing it for the album, our goal was only to highlight them. Writing and recording this song was profoundly fulfilling and is one that we are most proud of.
“Placebo”
Quinn: Lauren came in one day with an idea for a song title (“Placebo”) and the line “speak of the devil and he will appear.” We loved the concept and ran with it, eventually bringing in our dear friend John Mark Nelson to help us finish the song. “Placebo” is about doing whatever it takes to be happy and being unapologetic about it. As women, we’re often looked down upon when we collectively support an idea, trend, musical artist, career, type of self-care, and more. Society can often warp things primarily supported by women to seem frivolous and silly. “Placebo” challenges that notion, celebrating all the things that bring us joy — writing affirmations on your mirror, drinking cheap wine in a fancy glass, taking a trip, chopping your hair — seek out the light, and it will eventually find you.
“Out Of My Mind”
Georgia: We wrote this song with Ian Fitchuck on a trip to Nashville. He was vibing out on the guitar and we stumbled upon the melody for the chorus. We felt like it was something we hadn’t written before and knew that the way the harmonies sounded on that chorus melody was special. We finished it back in LA, and found that it kind of encapsulated an important message that we want to send as a band – getting out of your head. So many songs we’ve written lend themselves to this ultimate idea and thought it was the perfect title track for our album. We used lyrics from it to title our EP’s leading up to the LP: Catching A Ride and Make it Out Alive. During the production process, we actually went a little crazy as it was the final track to finish on our 2 year journey of making this album. It felt fitting to include the improvisational screams recorded as we were “losing our minds” on the vinyl. Playing it live is a meditation for us and the audience to practice allowing ourselves to forgive all mistakes and to live in the moment.
“Sometimes (with Ben Abraham)”
Quinn: We’ve been massive fans of Ben for a long time now. His songwriting and his voice just hit us in such a profound way, and we were so excited when he reached out to us asking if we would sing with him at one of his shows. This led us to hanging out with him and also realizing he is an incredible human being. We asked him to feature on the album and he graciously agreed, and we were so excited when he was down to sing on “Sometimes.” It’s an album favorite for us, and now it’s so much better.
“Movie Star (with BAILEN)”
Georgia: When choosing an artist to feature on the deluxe album, we knew we wanted to ask BAILEN. Not only have we been fans of them for years, but we had the pleasure of meeting them one night for drinks in LA. We asked if they’d be down to feature on a song for the deluxe album and if so which one. When they said yes and picked “Movie Star”, we couldn’t have been more excited. Having two harmony based groups coming together is something we’ve always dreamed of. We basically died when they sent us this version- their unity, musicality and tasteful harmonies shine in this rendition of “Movie Star.”
“Night Changes (Sirius XM Version)”
Quinn: This was a last minute addition to the deluxe album – we had been covering this 1D song for a while in 2021/2022 when we mainly performed live as a trio. It was always a great way to get crowds invested in us when we were opening for other artists, and it’s such a fun song to play. We recorded this for SiriusXM a while ago and are so excited to include a live stripped trio moment on the deluxe for people to hear!
“Bad Blood – Live From LA”
Georgia: “Bad Blood” means so much to each of us as it was the first song we recorded for our album. The response when we played it for an NPR session years back was overwhelming and exciting. We have grown so much as producers since recording this song and love seeing this growth in the way we sing and play it live. We open with it at all of our shows lately with an extended intro for drama (we love the drama) and the energy of the crowd is unbelievable. This song has a special place in each of our hearts, and we were pleasantly surprised with how it sounded live. We knew we had to include it on the deluxe.
“If I’m Honest – Live From LA”
Georgia: Boy oh BOY is this a fun one to play live. Every night, I look forward to getting down with the crowd for this one and it felt like an obvious choice when deciding which live performances to include on the deluxe album. Not to mention, the audience absolutely went OFF on this one. We’re lucky to have such positive and supportive crowds- thank you LA for making this such a memorable one for us.
“The Chain – Live From LA”
Georgia: Like the little genius she is, Quinn had the idea of covering “The Chain” and changing the arrangement at the end of “Always, Joni” so we could transition directly into it. At the time, Lauren was skeptical but we all agreed it could be a really cool moment. All became clear once we played it live on our Out Of My Mind Tour. The crowd went absolutely wild once they realized what song we were covering, and we had an absolute blast channeling our inner Fleetwood Mac drama. Learning the harmonies for this one was so fun and hearing the band absolutely MURDER every complex part in this arrangement is truly mind blowing. Shout out to Jonathan Sim, Carter Couron and Joey-Messina Doerning.
“Out Of My Mind – Live From LA”
Georgia: I mean come on, we can’t have a deluxe album without including the title track! Because we really do try to live the meaning of this song when we play it live and come back to the present moment, this one was an important message for us to include on the deluxe. We’re so grateful to our band and the crowd for making this version of the song what it is!
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:: stream/purchase Out of My Mind (Deluxe) here ::
:: connect with Trousdale here ::
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