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Alba Rose - Single Review: Mountains

16 Oct 2022 // A review by Danica Bryant

Alba Rose’s new indie-pop track Mountains is indescribable. Bright and dynamic, simple yet full, it’s a song devoted to following through on your feelings and declaring, “I can’t be scared of love”.

Inspired by a recent trip to Europe, the track’s clear Spanish influence flutters in its romantic acoustic guitars and shaking percussion. Alba blends this worldly sound with elements of electronica. Washed-out background vocals and mysterious keys craft an incredibly unique, genre-blending sound. Whilst Mountains does feel like its dynamics build to something just a little bit bigger that doesn’t quite arrive, it explores a range of different sounds in its runtime, creating a satisfyingly expansive work.

Mountains emphasises Alba’s gentle vocal performance above all else. Her voice is soft and delicate, making her relatively simple lyrics blush with emotion. It’s this delivery that moves the song from simple songwriting to something intimate and inventive. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the visuals for Mountains are so striking. They utilise beautiful baby blues and faded browns to place listeners right into Alba’s imagined world. 

When it comes to putting Alba Rose’s Mountains into words, no comparisons come to mind. It’s a playful and honest track which toys with genre and song structure. The end result is a single from an artist who proves herself entirely in her own lane.

Rating: ( 4 / 5 )
 

About Alba Rose

Alba Rose, the indie-soul and electronica artist from New Zealand, embodies the essence of her namesake drawn from her Spanish linage, translating to English to mean “dawn” or “rising sun”. Raised in the breathtaking ski village of Wanaka within the Southern Alps of NZ, Rose’s music reflects her adventurous spirit and deep connection to nature.

Rose’s debut was with her single Eve in August 2021, followed by her self-produced EP Silhouette in November 2021. Before this solo venture, Rose was the frontwoman for the indie-rock band Corduroy., who performed at major festivals like Rhythm & Vines and Bay Dreams and achieved notable success with their hit single The Usual across the NZ Top #20 Charts.

Over the past few years, Alba has gained international recognition, with her work featured on platforms like Sniffers, KCRW, and ZM, and played on various global radio stations. Her single Mountains, a collaboration with Serebii, reached #20 on the NZ Top 40 and #7 on the NZ Top 20 Hot Singles Charts, and was highlighted on LA’s KCRW and ZM’s ‘Locals Only’.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Alba Rose

Releases

First Light
Year: 2024
Type: EP

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