After hearing that ANGELICA ROCKNE is releasing her sophomore album The Rose Society, we thought it was an opportune time to have a chat about the recording process, perfect albums and life on the road, read on for more….
I know that you’re called Angelica Rockne and that you’re a California based country singer-songwriter, but tell me something that not many people know about you….
I'm not *really* country, and I'm Canadian as well as American... :)
Please give me three words that describe you and your music….
Impressionistic, evocative, ethereal, haha that's a tuff one.
Your debut album ‘Queen of San Antonio’ was released in 2017, can I ask why you waited 6 years to release your sophomore album ‘The Rose Society’?
It's funny how a period of time can appear like a hiatus when behind the scenes, endless work is happening. I never stopped playing shows and touring, applying for artists grants, looking for a producer to create new work. Then at the end of 2019 my partner and I found out we were pregnant, then three months later the world shut down.
Given the gap in time, would you say that ‘The Rose Society’ is a record that reflects the various rites of passage that you may have encountered?
One hundred percent. Such a transformative period which included blissful moments like bringing my daughter into the world in 2020 and also chaos of wildfires, illness in the family, several moves, all which required me to step further into my power.
I see that you self-produced ‘The Rose Society’, was this something you wanted to do after making your debut album? How did you find the process? Will you be self-producing again?
I probably would have worked with a producer had I found the right one, but I knew this couldn't be forced. I am so in love with the whole process of making a record, I imagine moving forward I'll always at least co-produce to remain involved. There's definitely such a thing as decision fatigue, but I feel like I was pretty good at tapping into the initial gut response of what was working for me and what wasn't. My musicians and engineers brought so much to the table as well and I could not (and would not) have done it without them.
Did you approach the writing/recording of ‘The Rose Society’ differently to how you approached your debut?
Yes. Queen of San Antonio was in many ways a band record and was very driven by my musical partnership with my guitar player. I fully embraced the live qualities and imperfections. The Rose Society I believe to be much more nuanced and each song highlights a different musical performance. I also worked more closely with each player to refine the arrangements. I had never done strings before so that was new territory, and the big vocal pads I recorded at home on songs "Protection, Prayers and Vigilance" and "Ripe to Ruin", this was a first and so rewarding!
Please can I ask you to break down a track from the forthcoming record and tell me what went into it, any meanings or references etc?
‘Ripe to Ruin’ was one of the last songs I wrote for this album. I was in a basically empty apartment in Abu Dhabi sitting on a concrete floor and when the song came through it was almost complete then and there. The song explores themes of the eternal self, birth and death, and I feel like this macro view broadens the vision for the entire album.
Your debut release was coined ‘Cosmic Country’, does this carry on into ‘The Rose Society’? If not, how would you describe its sound?
I wouldn't consider this album ‘country’, it's genre bending and the arrangements respond so beautifully to augment the lyrics and vocals. I give my nods to Sandy Denny and Leonard Cohen to name a few.
Would you say that you have ‘found’ your sound or are you still searching for perfection?
I would say I found my sound long ago, though part of this self-realization is knowing when to evolve and transcend what you've already done.
Staying on the word ‘perfection’, is there such a thing as a perfect record and if so, what would you say it is?
I think perfection starts with *complete, authentic expression*. A perfect album has fully arrived at an iconic sound that comes from somewhere otherworldly but could only be executed by these truly special artists. Link Wray (1971), Fleetwood Mac - Rumours, Joanna Newsom - Divers, Kendrick Lamar - DAMN, Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchidananda, Like half of David Bowie's albums... Um haha yeah, I think there are endless perfect records. These are just a few off the top of my head.
Are you planning some lived dates to celebrate the release of ‘The Rose Society’? If so, please share….
Yes! Nothing is confirmed yet, please stay tuned. The US and UK for sure.
When you do hit the road, what three things do you bring along that you cannot live without?
Yerba Mate, a yoga mat, and my motherpeace tarot deck. I guess I'm a hippie at heart, also trying to stay healthy while on tour is a mighty task.
There are millions of bands and artists out there right now, please share three that you are currently enjoying….
Ahh there's so many! Margo Price, Marina Allen, Mariee Siou
Lastly, where is the best place to keep up to date with your musical happenings?
my website - angelicarockne.com and instagram and via Loose Music in the UK.
We’d like to thank Angelica for sparing the time to chat to us and we wish her every success with the new album and tour dates that will hopefully follow shortly after!
