Last year was a momentous year for rising artists Julian Rose and Caroline Romano. Julian released his debut EP, How Deep, which contained eclectic hits like “Movin On,” “Her Majesty,” and the title track. Caroline, meanwhile, dropped her debut album, Oddities & Prodigies, expanding her reputation as a fierce singer and songwriter. Both projects established Julian and Caroline as ones to watch, especially after they released follow-up hits like “Sleep Tonight,” “Chopstix,” and “Me After September.” With such strong passions for creating and tendencies to make stunning songs, it was inevitable that the two would collaborate for an exhilarating first release of 2023.
On “Fighting a War,” Julian and Caroline exploit two sides of a relationship that is not working out. The two alter lines and verses, Julian’s R&B-based vocals seamlessly meshing with Caroline’s lush indie pop sound. After hearing how each one is quietly coming to terms with how the other is changing, we are hit with the bittersweet chorus, “Do you know how hard I’ve tried to reach you? / But you don’t want to see me anymore / Throughout all the ups and downs between us / Feels like we’re fighting a war / Tell me what we’re fighting for.” You can listen below.
Telling us more about how “Fighting a War” came together, Caroline shares,
“Julian and I sat down to write this summer while I was in LA. He came up with the chorus in the first fifteen minutes and, from there, we both found ourselves in two different parts of the same story. We wrote what each of us wanted to separately, and the final product is what you hear when we put everything together for the first time. I think it’s a universally relatable song. The clinging to something that once was, the loneliness of walking around a newly desolate relationship. It’s the war that we all fight at some point. I like that we both wrote different stories that ended up being part of the same one. It feels like a metaphor for something.”
You can listen to “Fighting a War” on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
Keep up with Julian Rose: Instagram // Twitter // Facebook // TikTok // YouTube // Website
Keep up with Caroline Romano: Instagram // Twitter // Facebook // TikTok // YouTube // Website
