Lucy Rose – This Ain’t the Way You Go Out

Surrey-born Lucy Rose makes a comeback to the industry with her latest album, This Ain’t the Way You Go Out. Having traversed an array of genres over the years, the artist is better known for her soft, singer-songwriter tracks. In her latest album release, however, she explores a gentle jazz-infused sound, whilst not straying too far from her signature style. Navigating a recent life-changing experience of postpartum osteoporosis, Rose has incorporated the struggles of this difficult experience into her album’s narrative, something which will resonate with many.

The artist introduces the record with an intriguing jazzy piano entrance for Light as Grass. Rose takes us down a path of gently built-up layers, ending up at the destination of a cool cinematic chorus. This quirky opening is a great indication of what’s to come; you know from the first few notes of Light as Grass that Rose isn’t here to play around.

The singer moves on to a more intense track next: Could You Help Me includes a pleasing electric guitar aspect, whilst sticking with the ethereal feel of the album’s opener. This song is an especially heartbreaking reference to the isolation and pain that her condition has left her feeling, with lyrics like “I’m learning how terribly lonely illness is”.

Rose takes a nice step back from the more heavily layered songs with a couple of gentle ones: Dusty Frames and Whatever You Want. The former is particularly pretty with its comforting poetic lyricism. It creates an insight into the emotions Rose has navigated throughout this medical journey and opens us up to a raw vulnerability we haven’t seen from the singer before, drawing you in on a personal level and making you feel much closer to her.

The artist includes a couple of interlude tracks to interrupt the album’s rhythm with slow instrumentals. Interlude II is particularly moving, with a sample of a baby’s cooing which is sure to be Rose’s child. This is a strangely unique aspect that catches you off guard, and returns the listener to a state of empathy for the songwriter’s vulnerable experiences. The track has a very clever structure, with the melody of the piano following the melody of the baby’s coos in a step-like pattern. It creates a maternal image of walking step by step with a young child as they learn to navigate new things in the world.

An album highlight comes from its part namesake, This Ain’t the Way. Again a heartfelt, slower track, this is undeniably a love ballad to herself. With honest, heartbreaking lyrics, Rose perfectly encapsulates feelings of losing herself after her frightening personal experience with postpartum osteoporosis, with an appreciation of her body carrying on through it all.

Rose has smashed her return to the industry with beautiful storytelling writing that invites us in on her heartbreaking experiences. Incorporating jazz into a large chunk of the album is an interesting celebration of the artist’s ability to dip her toes into different genres. She knows where to draw the line perfectly, however, so that she doesn’t wander too far from the signature style that fans know and love her for. This is certainly a memorable listen that will be on repeat for a long time coming.

Emily Downie
Image: Josh Shinner

This Ain’t the Way You Go Out is released on 19^th April 2024. For further information or to order the album visit Lucy Rose’s website here.

Watch the video for the single here: