The sounds of Los Angeles indie/synthpop band, RÓSA, are to be experienced while falling in love, or during the brutal absence of it. While the band has been compared to the likes of The 1975 and LANY, there’s no denying the heartfelt sincerity brimming from each and every track that often feels bittersweet and volcanic, depending on your mood or situation.
On February 23, RÓSA will release their new EP, The Taste Of Another, and it is everything synthpop fans have dreamed of, with some more magic hidden in there for good measure. Turns out, that magic is all DIY, which makes us respect them even more.
We asked vocalist Will Winters to share the process of writing, recording and producing The Taste Of Another in this exclusive guest blog! Enjoy and don’t forget to pick up the EP on February 23!
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I want to begin by thanking you for being interested in our art. RÓSA has been such a process of discovery for us that to have it culminate in a self-produced EP has been so fulfilling. It’s been a long journey getting to the place where we could do something like this, but I think we were able to create something more authentically “us,” whatever that might mean.
Producing our own music after working with producers for a few years seemed like a natural progression. That’s not to say it wasn’t a dramatic moment of clarity and power, but it wasn’t a huge leap for us. The producers we had worked with had taught so much about how to make great records. However, they also taught us a lot about what we do not want to do. Over the years both Mike and Tay were amassing gear and honing their craft so when it came time to record this EP we were ready to go and Mike did an amazing job. At this point in our lives and “careers” it was important to feel free and able to do whatever it was we wanted.
Each song was approached differently. The lead single, “Stranger,” was written the old-fashioned way on an acoustic. “Nightmare” was written after I sent them this fast song that was shit. Mike saw something that could be salvaged so sat down at a piano. We all just sat and slowly worked out a new arrangement. We had never done that before in that way. It was very surreal for me – to have the guys utterly transform something that I had created into something transcendent. It came so naturally. “Don’t Force It” was a new experience for us in that we made a few different versions of it and went back and forth for a while before deciding. Being on our own with this EP has forever changed how we think about making music. We don’t want to isolate ourselves but it was a healthy middle-finger to the world that made us confident. A lot of people make music on their own but I’m not sure how many artists are making pop music of this caliber on their own. Ya, I said it. I’m a little Kanye West, huh?
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