The latest teaser track from Rosalie James’ forthcoming Full of Chemicals album is a moody tour de force about the demands and struggles of single parenthood, which she experienced in her late teens and early 20s, along with the lingering guilt she feels for dumping her issues onto her children.
As with the album’s previous singles (“Girl I Was” and “Soft Target”), the mesmerizing sonic sculpture is part dreampop and part indie rock, with lyrics that eschew sentimentality: “I was an island out in the sun/falling to pieces for everyone/pieces of me/pieces I found/give me a reason to stick around.” She handles guitar and vocals, obviously, and is joined by Storefront Church (aka Lukas Frank) on the latter. Daniel Knowles, who produced, plays guitar and synths, and also handles the drum programming.
While she grew up loving music, and obsessed over the Beatles and Bangles when young, the peculiarities of her life—“drama queen” teen years, young parenthood, depression, anxiety and addiction—ruled out fulfilling her fantasy of being more than a fan. Complicating matters, too, was a social awkwardness that she never understood until the late-in-life discovery that she’s on the autism spectrum. (The disorder often goes undiagnosed in girls for reasons this article explains.) So, after a decade pursuing a career in social work, she decided to give her dream a go and, simultaneously, do good by raising awareness about neurodiversity, domestic violence, addiction and mental health.
The press release quotes her as saying, “There is so much I want to say, and the depths of terminal sadness and fleeting joy can only be properly expressed through music—any other form of communication is corrupted by confusion and doubt. Maybe feeling too much is actually feeling exactly the right amount when you’re trying to make something meaningful. Anyway, I can’t stop now.”
The Old Grey Cat 
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