Following the release of the stunning ‘PLACE BLAME’, we had a chat with the artist to find out a bit more about it and how it came to life
Recorded and produced entirely by the artist herself, Melissa Rose‘s stunning second single ‘PLACE BLAME’ continues to showcase the lasting impact of her immersive sound and the heartfelt, engaging songwriting and storytelling.
The track pulls from genres like shoegaze, folk, dream pop and indie rock to craft a sound that feels alluringly familiar but with a fresh, modern edge, utilising dreamy guitars and introspective, thoughtful lyrics to weave an atmospheric narrative of heartbreak, self-love and empowerment. There is a really lush, laid-back appeal to the track that feels instantly reassuring despite some of the more sombre themes, and a distinctive sense of personality and charm that Melissa is rapidly establishing through her releases. We love this new track, and had a chat with the artist to find a bit more about it and its roots.
Hey! We love your new single ‘PLACE BLAME’, what more can you tell us about it?
‘PLACE BLAME’ is my second single that I’ve independently released and explores relationships in an unapologetic way. The song was originally a 2 minute demo from an EP I released on Soundcloud about a year ago and I developed it from there. It’s very surreal to see how the song has progressed from that point looking back! You can listen here https://on.soundcloud.com/BdLpDpvZcUzj3A1W9
I also decided to filmed a music video which was a first for me and it was so much fun. It was shot on miniDV by drummer/film maker James Richards to mirror the raw style of the song. The film focuses on a sense of nostalgia and the entirety follows me around my bedroom and dramatically running around a field in the rain with some really cool shots and imagery. Watch here https://youtu.be/YlqjbIlydUs
What was the process like putting it together?
Overall from recording to release, it took about 4 months as I try to make my music as independently as possible from writing and recording to producing and promoting. As I’d always play the song live at gigs, each time it would develop more and more with input from my band members so by the time it came to record it, I was really confident with how it had grown. I decided to release an acoustic version of the song from a recording in November from one of my live Sunlight Sessions as well to show how much this track grown. Acoustic version: https://open.spotify.com/track/2keQ40VZnTo5Q94m0JkgOc?si=Vgoi6s3fSeunfs_DW8Uu1Q&dd=1
What were your biggest influences when creating the track?
I was definitely inspired by a lot of shoe-gaze artists which gave my guitars that dreamy signature sound I like to carry throughout all of my music. My first release, BOMO, was somewhat more stripped back so I wanted to explore some more dense textures and a lot of inspiration for that was artists like Wolf Alice. However, like I said above, I get a lot of inspiration and influence from the musicians around me and how other people interpret my song which I think helps shape it in a unique way
Both of your initial releases have this really heartfelt and raw edge to them, is that something that you aim for with your work?
Yes, I absolutely love raw production and writing styles that seem organic and transparent. I’ve never been very drawn to more artificial, heavily produced music as I feel it just doesn’t suit me! I aim to carry on with this theme as I believe it creates the space for people to relate to the music and perhaps even feel comforted by its heartfelt nature.
What else do you have planned for the near future?
I have another release planned for the end of summer/early autumn which I am really excited for and I have some cool ideas for another music video etc. Aside from that I have some exciting things being released in the next month that’s quite different from the music I’ve distributed so far but I’m so excited to show what I’ve been doing and show off a different side of my songwriting and music production.
