Rose Alaimo - A Place To Go When You Need To Hide
Ithaca, NY-based indiepop artist Rose Alaimo has released 'A Place To Go When You Need To Hide', her third full-length album. Honest, hopeful and emotive, this record follows Alaimo's internal struggles as she finds her way through darkness to exercise her own will-power, freedom of choice and self-empowerment. It is no coincidence that this album entails an element of contrast between light and darkness.
Alaimo also presents the video for the album's first single 'Stars', which is about finding an unexpected moment of stillness in the midst of a crazy world.
"'A Place to Go When You Need to Hide' is a concept album, a story, about the high highs and low lows of life and how they can be a lot to navigate without losing ourselves in the waves. About how we all have a place inside of ourselves, where we can go when the world gets to be too much - where we can stop for a moment of stillness and, from here, actively *choose* how we want to move through whatever circumstances life presents us with. It is loosely based on the quote "Between stimulus and response, there is a space. And in that space lies our freedom and power to choose our responses. In our response lies our growth and our freedom" by Viktor Frankl," says Rose Alaimo.
"These songs were written during the worst parts of Covid, amid massive political unrest and racial tension in the US, an uptick in school shootings, the onset of Russia's war on Ukraine, and more generalized anger and tension between people than I have ever seen. These events also coincided with difficulties in my personal life, including a massive period of burnout surrounding my career and being diagnosed with long-term post-infectious Lyme disease. Lyrically and musically, the album chronicles parts of my own path as I navigated through this period of darkness."
A multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Rose Alaimo writes, sings, performs, programs, records and co-produces her own music. Additional production and mastering was provided by Jamie Hill (Nada Surf, Zola Jesus, House of Pain), at Department of Energy Management in Tacoma, WA.
Having been involved in numerous music projects to date, she assimilates a diverse range of genres (from rock, metal and blues to folk and a cappella) into her own music. She also has a special obsession with creating vocal harmonies and is a veterinarian and vegetable farmer.
The emotional range of this album mirrors the intense highs and lows of life, from soft and dreamy lullabies, where we remember those we have loved who are no longer with us ('Stars'), to anthemic, thrashy songs protesting Russia's war on Ukraine and some of the unethical and dangerous world leaders we have seen at work over the last few years ('Resist The Force') . But there are also bright, upbeat pop-rock songs with shimmering vocal harmonies, calling us to remember and honor the interconnectedness that exists between all of us ('Power Lines').
Several pieces, inspired by dark blues and psychedelia, explore the difficulty of letting go of old, familiar, toxic patterns for something new and healthier due to the fear of making changes in a world that feels increasingly unstable ('The Devil That You Know'). The album wraps up with 'Here I Am', a grounding and hopeful reprise medley reminding us of the stillness and peace that we can find, even in times of trouble, and the importance of cultivating that peace - not only for ourselves, but for everyone around us.
Rose Alaimo debuted with her acoustic-based album 'The Importance of Centers' in 2019, followed by the gritty and anthemic 'Grow' in 2021. Rose's lyrics trend toward the dreamy and existential with a voice that has been most commonly referred to as "honest." As a session musician, she has also collaborated on other projects with artists from Paris, Australia, LA, Alaska, and South Africa.
'A Place To Go When You Need To Hide' is out now and available via fine music platforms, including Bandcamp, Spotify and Apple Music .
