ROSANNA IN WAVES FINDS HER RHYTHM BETWEEN REALITY AND ROMANCE ON DEBUT ALBUM BALANCING ACT

1 hour ago

3 min read

PHOTOGRAPHY GRAHAM TURNER - WORDS MAISIE JANE DANIELS

There's something rather cinematic about Rosanna in Waves' debut album, Balancing Act. The kind of record that has you mentally flicking through scenes from your own life, each track offering a different snapshot, emotion or fleeting memory. Part coming-of-age montage, part late-night road movie, it's an energetic introduction to an artist who isn't afraid to look a little closer at the world around her.

Released today, the ten-track album opens with the playful 'Intro' before launching straight into its title track. 'Balancing Act' sets the tone with punchy indie-pop, infectious beats and a nostalgic nod to '80s New Wave and electronica. There's a certain Kate Nash-esque honesty to Rosanna's vocal delivery, too, particularly as she tackles the rather unglamorous reality of pursuing a creative career while keeping the bills paid. Because, unfortunately, dreams don't pay the rent (although we wish they did).

That tension between ambition and everyday survival runs throughout the record, alongside a wider commentary on the increasingly demanding world we find ourselves living in. 'High Functioning Human' is a particularly striking example, taking aim at our relationship with technology and the expectation to be constantly switched on. Its fast-paced, almost restless production mirrors the lyrical frustration, with Rosanna questioning the pressure to keep functioning at full capacity. It's an increasingly relatable sentiment in a world where even our downtime seems to come with a productivity target.

There's a softer shift with 'Nowhere Feels Like Home', a more delicate and vulnerable moment that explores the feeling of being ungrounded. Its dreamy soundscape offers a welcome contrast to the album's more energetic tracks, with Rosanna capturing that rather complicated feeling of searching for somewhere – or someone – to belong.

One of the album's more intriguing moments comes in the form of 'You're So Cool', an 18-second interlude. Those familiar with True Romance might recognise the phrase as a nod to the film's beautiful Hans Zimmer composition, which features throughout the cult road movie. Whether intentional or a happy coincidence, it makes for a particularly lovely transition into 'Ride or Die'.

And if True Romance is indeed somewhere in the reference library, 'Ride or Die' feels like Rosanna's own little cinematic sequel. With its pulsing beats and romanticised imagery, the track captures that all-consuming, Natural Born Killers, kind of love – the sort where you'd quite literally take a bullet for someone. But beneath the glossy romance is something a little darker, hinting at the fine line between devotion and dependency. It's a playful yet bittersweet moment, and one that feels right at home within the album's wider cinematic world.

Across Balancing Act, Rosanna moves between the personal and the political, the playful and the poignant, without losing sight of the infectious pop sensibility that holds it all together. Drawing on her eclectic influences and calling Margate's creative community home, she's building a sound that feels both nostalgic and distinctly her own.

Ultimately, Balancing Act is an album about navigating the contradictions of being human: wanting to slow down while the world speeds up, chasing your dreams while keeping your feet on the ground, and falling headfirst into love while knowing full well it might hurt. It's a thoughtful, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, and refreshingly honest debut that leaves you with plenty to sit with long after the final track fades out.