ROSIE prescribes ‘20mg of Happiness’ on debut EP

Recommended Tracks: “All my favorite songs”, “to get over you”, “Idk you at all”
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The mind is a scary place to be, especially when experiencing heartbreak and grief. Going through the range of emotions that are connected with loss and sorrow is exhausting and can take a toll on your mental health, especially when left to deal with these feelings alone. Last year, 21-year-old indie pop artist ROSIE found herself in this situation, channeling what she was going through during the pandemic into her music. Hoping that the songs she created in her bedroom can help others, ROSIE give us her debut EP, 20mg of Happiness, using her own thoughts to touch on universal sensations.

Throughout the seven songs on the EP, ROSIE gives us honest vignettes that touch on the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Most of the tracks are relationship-based, as ROSIE reflects on feelings and sensations that come about when someone is no longer in your life. For instance, on the vulnerable opening track “Screaming Underwater,” ROSIE accepts that a relationship is over, but struggles to accept the subsequent pain and guilt. She sings, “I still get sick when I think about us” and “The weight of all our problems got me halfway to the bottom,” trying to find a balance. Elsewhere on the EP, ROSIE admits that she is desperate to move on, claiming that she would “walk through hell and back again” or even “hike Mount Everest,” as she so sings on the playful “to get over you.” By giving us a vast array of emotions, ROSIE helps us better understand, and possibly relate to, what she is going through.

Along with the vast array of emotions comes various music styles that accentuate the heartache. On the downhearted “All my favorite songs,” for example, we get gentle string and acoustic guitar work as ROSIE sings, “You ruined all my favorite songs for me / You ruined everything, including me.” There are also the dramatic sounds of lonely piano chords, like we hear on “Idk you at all” and “Never the 1.” ROSIE’s delicate vocals tie all of these elements together, as her pure-sounding timbre remains a constant through all of the stories and sounds. No matter if you are someone who loves a simple ballad or a lowkey pop tune for all of your sad music needs, you will find it on this EP.

As heavy as these songs are, however, ROSIE finds a way to instill a sense that these emotions and experiences will not bring her down. She takes ownership for the way she feels and acts, and is aware that she is not coping so well. She sings, “I just want to hurt you like you hurt me” on “Retail Therapy,” and tells us how she pretends to be fine in front of friends on “Sad Sad Sad.” Yet, ROSIE perseveres, and by acknowledging what she needs to do to make things right, we feel like she will be able to come out stronger on the other side.

Overall, 20mg of Happiness is a safe and quiet space that will allow anyone to heal. It holds up to ROSIE’s image of “no filters, no bullshit,” while also introducing us to her kindhearted sound. She definitely succeeds in her goal of wanting “those who feel misunderstood to feel understood, and those who feel unseen to feel seen,” as she expressed when discussing the project. As she continues to be open and craft more vulnerable works of art, ROSIE will surely reach new heights and inspire others along the way.