I have to admit, it took me an embarrassingly long time to click that the RØRY that I had been seeing and hearing about on the music circuit, was the same half-blue-haired badass that had been popping up on my TikTok FYP, along with her partner discussing life with ADHD under the username ADHD_love. It wasn't until I saw the video for 'SORRY I'M LATE', that I made that connection, and since then I've been on a spiral of hearing some of RØRY's (also known as Roxanne Emery) most raw moments, both through her music and TikTok stories. Having both watched the videos and now heard this album, you recognise moments of her stories in both mediums.
'RESTORATION' consistently relays RØRY's journey to getting her life back on track after a stint of addiction and mental health struggles. Some may call her a 'Late Bloomer' (also the name of her new podcast), restarting her music career as she hits 40, but age is just a number, and it's time to break these industry 'standards' of an artist's age. After all, with age comes experience and wisdom, which I think is what makes 'RESTORATION' such an insightful album.
'If pain could talk, what would it say?' kicks off the album, RØRY portrays her inner monologue that seems to taunt and betray her rationality. A standout track that has not left my head comes from 'In The Bible', the tagline 'everything you've lost will be restored' not only references the album’s namesake but is reprised in the final track 'The Atheist', which features a voice note explaining how that particular line came to RØRY one day from an unknown, possibly higher, power. What hits hard the most is how RØRY highlights the statistics surrounding mental health with lines such as 'I’m one of 20 million people taking anti-depressants' and 'Tell me why is the suicide rate so high for people under 35?'
How many artists do you know who feature themselves on a track? 'Hold On (ft. Roxanne Emery)' proves that it can be done. Anyone who has struggled with any sort of addiction or disorder will relate to the idea of feeling like they can, at times, be two different people. On a less sinister side, artists can also feel the same when they have their offstage vs. onstage persona.
While 'BLOSSOM' deals with the concept of rebirth, 'One Drink Away' is a harrowing reminder that after all the progress made, just one action can undo everything. 'MORALITY $UICIDE' is a middle finger to the poor priorities of the government and world leaders, e.g., 'They found oil, but they can't find a cure for cancer' as well as the denial of the happenings in Gaza by many governments, 'It's not genocide if it's not on the news'.
'SORRY IM LATE' is a reminder that anything you desire to achieve, 'it's still right here if you want it', regardless of your age or stage in life.
Overall, a resonating album, with a hybrid of heavy breakdowns, clean vocals, and fast-paced raps, a breath of fresh air in the current music climate.
'RESTORATION' will be available to stream on Friday 31st January 2025
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