Up-and-coming Los Angeles singer-songwriter Kara Connolly has shared her latest song “Roses,” which premiered in American Songwriter. Co-written with Jack and Teddi Gold, the song was produced by Jack Ventimiglia and mastered by Harry Styles collaborator Randy Merrill.

Connolly bears some of the same influences as Styles in this new song, which has echoes of classic pop and California folk-rock, particularly Fleetwood Mac, with breezy, gentle guitars and an easy, relaxed melody. 

Connolly has quickly become one of the fastest rising stars in the indie-pop scene. Her previous single “Slow Down” was named SPIN Magazine’s Video of the Day; the music video has garnered nearly a quarter of a million views. She has sold out shows at prominent LA venues such as The Hotel Cafe and Interscope’s The Peppermint Club, despite being an independent unsigned artist. In fact, she was included on the first-round GRAMMY ballot for “Best Pop Vocal” album.

“Roses” continues Connolly’s practice of pairing uplifting messages with catchy, gentle songs. The song, which was inspired by “a 3-day plant medicine ceremony (ayahuasca—one of the world’s most powerful psychedelics) in search of understanding and healing,” compels listeners to slow down and be more mindful of the experiences in their life.

Said Connolly, “psychedelics put me in touch with my heart and ground me with the earth, so on the walk back I realized I hadn’t even noticed my surroundings on the way up whatsoever, such as the striking color of the flowers. I was so in my head…I spend a lot of my time there. There’s a line in the song that says ‘they tell me slow down before you break down, I’m almost there now’ which really has two meanings…I’m almost to my destination…I can see it…so I feel like I have to keep going, but I’ve also nearly broken down at several stops along the way.”

• Author Details

Sam Seliger Subscriber

Sam is a journalism intern at Glasse Factory and a Sophomore at Columbia University in the City of New York, where he is pursuing a major in American Studies. Sam is also the Head of American Music for Columbia’s WKCR-FM radio station, where he hosts two weekly shows. He previously served as co-Editor-in-Chief of Pressing the Future.

×

Sam Seliger Subscriber

Sam is a journalism intern at Glasse Factory and a Sophomore at Columbia University in the City of New York, where he is pursuing a major in American Studies. Sam is also the Head of American Music for Columbia’s WKCR-FM radio station, where he hosts two weekly shows. He previously served as co-Editor-in-Chief of Pressing the Future.