Mandy RogersI have been listening to Ariana and the Rose developing her style as an artist for a number of years now, and what interests me most is just how emotively atmospheric it has gotten over this period of time.
For one thing, the up-and-coming songstress has really honed in on her songwriting skills. There is much weight in her lyrics which offer up a more meatier backbone to her musical efforts and give us the listener a range of life learned, relatable topics to ponder to upon.
Now that Ariana’s settled well into her signature sound that encapsulates every degree of her creative artistry right down to audio-visual level of her interactive performance and music events called Light + Space, she’s stepped up and landed her debut EP “Retrograde”.
As a body of work “Retrograde” showcases a superb extent of accomplishment and crafting. This collection of tracks sit well against each other, much owing to Ariana’s hauntingly, goosebump inducing vocals which preside over the flow of sonic soundscapes with a command that is somewhat majestical, mystical and otherworldly. Opening track “How Does That Make You Feel” is quick to set the tone with its melodically defined use of expansive electronic sounds which step-by-step blossom into the sum of four songs, “Love You Lately”, “These Ruins” and “Supercool”.
It’s taken a while, but the wait has culminated in Ariana and the Rose finding their niche. “Retrograde” is endearingly visionary and yet with a sonic palette of mass appeal and sultry tones. In spite of its lyrical depth it’s quite an easy listen, which see’s Ariana and the Rose on a higher plain of the synth-pop styled trajectory known as future pop domination.
Coming soon – we got to chat to Ariana at SXSW so look out for that interview shortly.