Esther Rose released her sophomore album Safe to Run in 2023. Today (February 4), she announced the follow-up to the critically acclaimed record. Want will be out later this year. See the music video for the lead single “New Bad” below.
Videos by American Songwriter
Want sees the Santa Fe-based singer/songwriter going deeper and getting more personal than ever before. At the same time, it sees Rose exploring new sonic textures as she revitalizes her relationship with music. According to press materials, she almost walked away from her musical career after finishing her headlining tour in support of Safe to Run. She came off the road feeling completely drained and knew something had to change.
[RELATED: Esther Rose Presents American Songwriter’s May / June Issue as Guest Editor]
Fortunately, instead of walking away from music, Rose decided to walk away from booze and start going to therapy. “There are things that I have tiptoed around in my writing—and in my life—that I wasn’t ready to look at and now I’m going for it,” she shared in a statement. “This record is introspective and internal. In these songs, I examine my thoughts and behavior patterns,” she said of the new album. While “want” is the overarching theme of the forthcoming collection, songs also explore other themes including fear.
Esther Rose on Her New Single “New Bad”
Esther Rose wrote “New Bad” and worked with New York Times bestselling author Anna Marie Tendler to create the music video.
“This song leaps from the speakers. It’s part grunge, part shoegaze,” she said of the new single.
“Working with Anna Marie Tendler was the collaboration I’ve always dreamed of. We sparked an easy, natural rapport out of mutual admiration for each other’s artistry,” Rose said. “After I read her book Men Have Called Her Crazy, I sent her a note, saying that my unreleased album and her memoir were apparently spiritual twins. Luckily, she agreed,” she added.
“We spent five days, just the two of us, traversing the desert talking and laughing about love, family, our careers, therapy, ketamine, divorce, and music, all while filming a video whose themes and visuals were predicated on the pluralism of self,” Tendler recalled. “We also spent a lot of time in comfortable silence watching a golden sun set into an inky sky. On our last day, I thanked Esther for taking this chance on me. She, of course, had access to all my photographs, but there was little in terms of video work to prove my proficiency, let alone talent. I was surprised to learn it wasn’t my visual work, but my memoir, which had gotten me the job. ‘I just knew you would get what I was trying to say,’ Esther told me.”
Want Tracklist and Information
Esther Rose will release Want via New West Records on May 2. The 11-song collection will be available across streaming platforms as on vinyl and compact disc. Limited-edition signed CDs and vinyls will be available through independent retailers and New West Records. Fans can pre-order physical copies of the album today.
Tracklist:
- “Want”
- “Tailspin” featuring Video Age
- “Had To”
- “Ketamine”
- “Rescue You”
- “Scars” featuring Dean Johnson
- “Messenger”
- “New Bad”
- “The Clown”
- “Color Wheel”
- “Want Pt. 2”
Featured Image by Char Klein
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