Irish musician Rosie Carney’s fourth studio album ‘Doomsday… Don’t Leave Me Here’ is a major contrast from her intimate folk foundations. It’s a step outside of the box that proves Carney has range and is a force to be reckoned with. She explores female rage, nostalgia, existential dread, and the complexities of love and loss in collaboration with the 1975’s Ross MacDonald for the first album he’s fully produced. Pulling inspiration from shoegaze, alt-pop, and exploring the world of electronic symphonies, you can hear Macdonald’s influences.
This influence is immediately from opener ‘Everything is Wrong’ as we hear electronic twinkles behind whimsical instruments as Carney’s ethereal vocals transport you to the fantasy world of ‘Doomsday…’ Following this is ‘Here’, already out and loved by fans, it features wispy backing vocals that keep you enthralled in the fairytale Carney has carefully weaved and the emotional build up on the song only adds to that. The darkly distinct guitar strings of ‘In My Blue’, combined with her angelic vocals, take you to a deeper place than on the previous tracks as she begins to open up her world. The production on, not just this track, but the whole album creates a unique soundscape you never want to escape.
Fan-favourite ‘Fragile Fantasy’ is the latest single from the album. The layering of instruments and textures creates a fragile soundwall. Carney displays her range in ‘Hope like Hell’, a beautifully performed ballad. Softly uttering ‘hope like hell this is heaven I’m finding in you’ over a stripped-back acoustic guitar, the production isn’t overdone; it’s just enough to add another layer of emotion. Continuing the religious imagery in ‘The Evidence’ with ‘hellbent and heaven sent’, it’s a
more seductive and mature track for the singer.
Keeping her addictive rhyme schemes going in the last few tracks, ‘Down’ is a heartbreak anthem that grows on you as it evolves into a dance-y chorus. The next track, ‘Sixteen’, explores girlhood throughout the years. ‘If I miss you ill call my sister instead’ is a sentiment so many can relate to, and the incomparable experience of sisterhood is echoed throughout. In ‘Love So Blind’, we feel Carney’s emotion through her voice, being higher-pitched to emphasise her emotional pain. A
perfect breakdown song, this will be the top of many female rage playlists. Finally, ‘Tethered’ is a more stripped-back ballad again, where, in the last minute of the song, her voice slowly blends into a sea of sound as were slowly transported out of her fantasy.
This album is a feat and an achievement that both Carney and MacDonald should be proud of. Showing Carney’s vocal range, songwriting skills and willingness to be open, along with MacDonald’s co-writing and talented production, they are a harmonious pair, and more collaborations would truly be a gift.
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