Caroline Rose’s “Superstar” Shows Great Promise

Caroline Rose. Photo by RMV/Shutterstock (10416724au)

Caroline Rose’s new album shows great promise of the singer rising to further levels of stardom.

The American pop star’s debut album LONER received high critical praise. The album tackled misogyny with tasteful humor and warranted the attention of the press and the public alike. The follow-up album Superstar has a similar brilliance to it as Caroline continues to approach her music with a healthy cynism and charming wit.

The album begins with the electro-pop track “Nothing Impossible”. The influence of Tame Impala and Unknown Mortal Orchestra can be heard here, but Caroline’s strong female vocals offer a new take on the alternative electro-pop sound. The track sings of hope and sounds relentlessly optimistic. It is an anthem of ambition and naively reaching for the stars. As the track draws to a close, the synths descend comically into a lo-fi somber beat. Hope doesn’t last and Rose has something to say about dreams turning bitter.

“Got To Go My Own Way” is a defiant tune with a strong beat and even stronger vocals. Rose interacts playfully with electro tropes and declares in the spirit of Stevie Nicks “I’ve got to go my own way.”

Opening with the upbeat, dreamy notes of “Nothing Impossible’, setting up the albums starry premise of a hope turned bitter before following up this narrative of dreams on the fierce “Got To Go My Own Way”, a defiant and ambitious electro-tinged track. This is the last fiercely optimistic track on the album before it descends into something more hopeless.

“Do You Think We’ll Last Forever?” sees Rose questioning herself and her relationship. “Feelings Are A Thing Of The Past” is a candid confession of how Rose puts on a mask of self-confidence in the spotlight. “Freak Like Me” is self-deprecating and takes a moodier, somber turn. There’s something seriously relatable about Rose’s witty lyrics and transition between pure hope and self-doubt.

“Pipe Dreams” is an album highlight. Caroline shows off her husky vocals as she sings about dreams left unfulfilled. And yet in the song’s closing verse, a tinge of hope returns. She sings: “Forget about your family / I don’t care what all your friends say / Forget about that seed of doubt / They planted deep inside your head.”

Overall, Superstar is an impressive album with poignant lyrics. It interacts playfully with genre and although the record is not perfect, it shows signs of a star with great promise.

3.5/5