Q&A: Rosie Darling Creates the Perfect Time Capsule of Her Inner World During a Global Pandemic With New EP ‘Golden Age’
PROVIDING AN EMOTIONAL OUTLET AMIDST AN EVER-EVOLVING WORLD — Rosie Darling’s latest EP, Golden Age, revels in the bittersweet feelings of longing, regret, and heartache. In a time where connection and loneliness were intricately woven into each other, the EP chronicles Darling's forage for companionship in Los Angeles.
Produced in collaboration with renowned writers Matt Rad, Justin Gamella, Cooper Hatzman, and Michael Brauer, the EP offers poignant melancholy wrapped in an atmosphere of indie-pop sounds and harrowing lyrics. The EP sees Darling’s attempt to find her way through a two-year pandemic, clinging to snippets of her youth in hopes of keeping afloat.
Alongside the EP, the Boston-born artist also unveiled her new single, “What A Convincing Illusion.” The track is a gentle look at a past romance sans rose-tinted glasses and explores the lessons we carry with us after each relationship in a desperate endeavour to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
Later on this year, Darling is embarking on her co-headlining West Coast tour alongside Caleb Hearn which will see her take to the stage in major cities such as Seattle, LA, and San Diego.
Read on to dive deeper into Golden Age and how Rosie Darling brought it to life.
LUNA: Congrats on Golden Age! What themes does the EP touch on, and what drove you to explore them?
DARLING: Thank you! This EP captures many emotions for me but especially the highs and lows throughout the last few years during the pandemic. I wanted to find a balance of staying true to the kinds of lyrics I like to write while also exploring some more upbeat production. I am so happy with how it turned out because I think after spending time experimenting, I was able to find the right balance! It’s similar to “Coping” in that the lyrics still hold a lot of meaning but it was really fun to explore another side of production on this project, and so far I think people are enjoying it!
LUNA: How would you describe the atmosphere Golden Age creates to someone who hasn’t yet listened to it?
DARLING: I think hopeful but also honest and raw. The pandemic heightened a lot of everyone’s emotions because we all had so much time on our hands to think about what we wanted in life, and so “Golden Age” is definitely representative of that time for me and all of the things I struggled with. Each song is very special to me on this EP and I just wanted to create an EP that had a variety of emotions but still felt like it was in the same world, and I think overall the songs blend nicely together when you listen through in order!
LUNA: Can you take us through some of the inspiration for Golden Age?
DARLING: Definitely the pandemic! I honestly did so much soul searching during this time and found it really difficult to adjust and keep up with everything happening around me as well as re-integrating back into the world as things opened up again. I feel like the pandemic forced people to grow whether they wanted to or not, and I experienced a lot of changes during this time and so that is what I tried to focus on in this EP.
LUNA: Which song on the EP do you feel you have a close connection with and why?
DARLING: I think “Say Less”! I love how it is short and feels like a run-on sentence in a lot of ways. I get frustrated with my generation a lot, and this song feels a bit like a rant to me but I feel really connected to it although it’s not a full length song.
LUNA: Can you share a favorite moment from the creative process behind the EP?
DARLING: Probably shooting the “Always Almost” music video! I think it’s my favorite music video I’ve been a part of, and I just absolutely love how all the tiny moments came together in a bigger vision. I really enjoyed filming it, too, because we got to spend an entire day running around LA exploring and it didn’t even feel like we were shooting for a video because it was so fun!
LUNA: What would you say is the ideal setting for a first listen through of Golden Age?
DARLING: Car with windows down.
LUNA: How did you first get into creating music?
DARLING: I have always been a singer, and as a kid I started to play guitar and piano for fun and over time it just sort of grew into something bigger. I love making music and I hope I get to do so for the rest of my life. I find it so much easier to express myself through stories and songs, and it’s even more special that people can relate to them.
LUNA: What are the essentials to creating your music? How do you get into the zone to create?
DARLING: Definitely writing with people I feel comfortable with and not forcing it.
LUNA: What are you looking forward to for the rest of 2022?
DARLING: Tour! I am going on my first tour in the fall and I am so excited! I have yet to tour so it will be new and exciting and scary all at the same time but I am so excited to experience touring.
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