Jasen T. Davis: Rozes

Rozes Razes Everyday Expectations with “Under the Grave”

There is always a place for pop in modern music largely because the definition of the genre shifts shape with every incarnation. The pop your parents grew up on is still back there in time, like an evolutionary leap, but newer innovations in technology, music and the imaginations of the artists that dream it all up means that what we listen to now is always going to be vastly superior to its predecessors, which is why Rozes is the lady you should check out, especially if you enjoy pop with an alternative edge and a dark, crimson heart.

“Under the Grave,” recorded by Rozes in the thriving metropolis of Los Angeles, is the kind of ballad for those who know what it is like when a relationship is going to require more effort if they truly value someone that might just be lost. Literature and poetry are replete with verses about discovering new love, but you don’t see a lot about the work any human heart requires if it is to be kept. The musician known to us as Rozes has obviously dreamed deeply about such things, and the single shows. “When did my heart stop feeling?” is the question asked by the artist in this gorgeous creation, making the song as sweet as it is bitter.

The women of today face immense, spirit-crushing societal pressures most can’t imagine. For a modern female alt-pop artist to make it, a journey is required that is neither easy nor pleasant. Sadly, many opportunities arise to give musicians the pain they require to create a believable song about sorrow with the appropriate amount of poetry and dignity. Born tough in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Rozes must have certainly suffered to sing her blues, but that is not to say the brilliant track that is “Under the “Grave” is just some predictable dirge. It is fun, happy, introspective and deliciously mysterious enough to entice, as any good human relationship should be. The wisdom in Rozes lyrics clearly reveals the soul it took to march the road to success she has.

Rozes unveiled her first single, the soulful, regret-infused “Everything,” on September of 2014. The world fell instantly in love with the hypnotic, evocative song and it was praised by millions of hits on SoundCloud. Two more singles followed, “In and Out,” and “R U Mine,” as the young, beautiful artist was invited to perform at the Neon Gold’s incredible Pop Shop at Baby’s All Right. When the dynamic musical duo known as The Chainsmokers invited her to co-write and sing the Top 40 track “Roses,” it only confirmed that this fierce lady had plenty of talent to offer. Rozes joined the band onstage for the Billboard Hot 100 Music Festival at Jones Beach last August, followed by appearances on The Late Late Show with James Corden and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

In 2016 Rozes introduced the world to her new EP, Burn Wild. The track of the same name is as haunting as it is wholesome, sometimes soothing with synth beats brimming with soul and then rousing you with delicate guitars, deft guitars as the golden sound of the singer’s voice briefly takes your ears to heaven on audio wings of passion and truth, only to soar downwards into faint distortions, dreamlike effects and playful, cool backbeats. The music Rozes creates is proof that it is still wonderful to fall in love with alt-pop all over again.