We first encountered the amazingness that is Blonde Roses when we heard their single, Anymore, off of their recently released EP Hell Or High Water. Mere moments into the track and we were hooked. For starters, it’s the most vulnerable — yet empowering — ballad of love-wreckage that we’ve heard in recent years.
With a vintage-y sound that you’d like to hear on vinyl and some truly incredible, crystal-clear vocals, we had to know more about the Louisiana quartet made up of four alternative-meets-classic rockers.
Check out the band’s track-by-track of their released album Hell Or High Water below and don’t miss the official music video for “Bullet.”
“Bullet“
‘Bullet’ starts with the image of a cherry tree. In Japanese culture, the cherry blossom represents the fragility and beauty of life – the circle of life, death, renewal and rebirth. It’s about being stuck in a place or relationship that you realize is bad for you, but you can’t seem to get out of it. Something about it sucks you in and won’t spit you back out. It’s about finally realizing that there is life beyond this moment or person. The higher you climb, the easier it can be to see the bigger picture. Because when you’re on the ground floor, surrounded by toxicity, it can be hard to see where you need to go in order to escape it. ‘Bullet’ is about starting a new chapter – a rebirth – into your better self.
“Anymore“
This song is the most personal and vulnerable for me on the record. It’s about having someone in your life that completely stripped you of yourself, leaving you feeling like a shell of your former self, and finding the strength to say enough is enough. It’s an anthem about taking the lowest point in your life, breaking free from it and not allowing your past to own you anymore. That person, that moment, isn’t worth living your life in fear. These scars aren’t something we should be ashamed of because they make us who we are. They make us beautiful. They remind us where we’ve been. They remind us that we’re better than that. The second you let your demons control you, they win – and the best form of revenge is finding your way back to yourself and letting everything that is beautiful about you shine.
“Hell or High Water”
Hell or High Water is the first song we wrote as Blonde Roses. We were at this point where we were either going to fight and swim, or let go and drown. Life throws you curveballs and this was a really big one for us losing one of our founding members. Ultimately, this experience but a fire under us. We decided to start fresh with a new name and push forward. Through thick or thin, hell or high water, we were going to continue to do this and we were going to do it better than ever. It’s about never giving up on your dreams, even when things get really tough. This song embodied what we wanted this record to stand for – swimming to the top and finding the stars in the darkness.
“Farewell Letter”
Farewell Letter is about saying goodbye to someone you love, whether it be a family member, a lover or a friend. I actually wrote this on the day of my grandmothers funeral a few years back. It was a way for me to channel that gut-wrenching feeling of loss into something that gave me comfort – writing music. It’s the final goodbye that I desperately needed.
“Down Low”
When Harry originally brought this guitar riff to me, I immediately got this sexy, playful feeling from it and wanted to run with it. We normally write about deeper, darker topics, so it was fun to put ourselves out of our comfort zone and go in a different direction. I was really drawn to the story of this character that has their eye on someone that they are trying charm – floating down a river with a group of people and ending at a riverbank at this roaring bonfire. Through this whole journey, she/he is trying to get the attention of their love interest.
