Caroline Rose is a superstar of a shapeshifter. She introduced herself to the world as a country-folk-rock singer-songwriter, before reinventing herself on 2018's
Loner. Rose mixed retro rock-pop sounds with satire, soul and swagger, giving us one of
Y-Not Radio's favorite albums that year. For her follow-up, Rose changes up the script again, crafting a semi-fictional narrative about an individual seeking musical stardom, though sticking primarily to just one sound.
Superstar starts this journey with "Nothing's Impossible," kicking off our story about a fame-seeker being "discovered" over some
Tame Impala-ish keyboards. Full of grooves and post-disco pop influences, the album also gives us the slinky "Do You Think We'll Last Forever" over a very funky bassline and the jazzy keyboards of "Got To Go My Own Way." The languid "Pipe Dreams" is full of relationship 'what-ifs,' while our protagonist gets racy in "Freak Like Me."
"Feel The Way I Want" was the obvious lead single, thanks to its big hooky chorus. The video actually hits the album's themes harder, as Rose travels to Hollywood for her big breakβ¦only to find out it's in Hollywood, Florida.
Even the album art plays into her themes, with a plastic-y looking version of Rose's face, blurring the line between the fakery of a pop star and her actual human self. She Trojan-horses the storyline into much of
Superstar. In the woozy closer "I Took A Ride," the narrator is searching for her 'true love again' β but in the context of
Superstar, is that a person or the fame they've been chasing?
Part of the appeal of
Loner was how eclectic the album is, jumping from soulful keyboard-based tunes like "Jeannie Becomes a Mom" to the surf rock of "Bikini." With
Superstar, Rose essentially stays in one lane, keeping her keyboard on the same setting, while washing her vocals in a bit too much echo and reverb, often making it harder than it should be to keep up with her storytelling. However, it is an important step in a bigger picture of her musicianship, with the knowledge and expectations that she'll hopefully switch things up and keep surprising us for years to come.