Some of the best art is often produced through seemingly insurmountable grief, pain, and change, and finding ways to persist through it.
Such is the case for Charlotte McCaslin of Roselit Bone and their brand new single, “Ofrenda,” which is the title track off of their upcoming album.
Packed to the brim with resonating instrumentals, deeply honest lyrics, and silky-smooth vocals, “Ofrenda” captivates its audience from the jump with its Renaissance-like sound. Palpable authenticity is felt throughout the track, from its light and airy guitar rhythms to its sweeping violins and trumpets. McCaslin’s vocals are clear and graceful, filled with heart, soul, and emotion while the song’s percussion elegantly drives each measure forward.
But as a whole, there’s much heavier elements behind the nature of the song.
“’Ofrenda’ is a song about accepting the acceptance of death,” says McCaslin. “I began writing it after a long, dark winter in which a handful of suicides and overdoses in my extended circle had impacted most of my friends. But I noticed that, for some brief little moments, the pressure of grieving would give way and I would suddenly feel ‘okay.’ I would then be flooded with pangs of guilt for surviving, for not suffering alongside the dead. ‘Ofrenda,’ the song and album, are an attempt to come to terms with my place as a living thing in a dying world.”
The whopping eight-piece group, which was formed twelve years ago in Portland, Oregon, has long had a flair for the dramatic when it comes to blending genres and leaving their listeners reflecting on their own lives as well as the world around them.
Oregon Public Broadcasting poignantly placed it, describing the band’s sound as “a unique type of gothic country rock that borrows heavily from Mexican ranchera music, rockabilly and the same lonely and wide-open spaces that inspired the classic Spaghetti Western scores of composer Ennio Morricone.”
Their previous albums, Blacken & Curl, Blister Steel, and Crisis Actor, carry the same intensity and unique beauty and perspective as Ofrenda. Now, though, McCaslin is approaching the music with a new sense of honesty. Of the upcoming album, McCaslin has stated, “Ofrenda‘ feels more real to me [than Crisis Actor, the band’s previous album.] The band is tighter, my voice is my own, the arrangements are prettier. Where the lyrics are especially bleak, I tried to create a soft place in the music for the heart to rest.”
The full-length LP, Ofrenda, is set to drop on August 25th via Get Loud Records, and the group will be touring in the United States through October.
Catch Roselit Bone On Tour:
08.24 – Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s
09.03 – Reno, NV @ Loving Cup
09.04 – Nevada City, CA @ Stardust Station
09.05 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s
09.06 – Chico, CA @ Duffy’s
09.07 – Albany, CA @ Ivy Room
09.08 – Long Beach, CA @ Alex’s Bar
09.09 – San Diego, CA @ Tower Bar
09.10 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
09.11 – Yucca Valley, CA @ The Annex
09.13 – Phoenix, AZ @ Linger Longer Lounge
09.14 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
09.15 – Las Cruces, NM @ The Lighthouse
09.16 – San Antonio, TX @ Lonesome Rose
09.17 – Austin, TX @ Sagebrush
09.18 – Houston, TX @ 1810 Ojeman
09.19 – New Orleans, LA @ Siberia
09.22 – Nashville, TN @ Springwater Supper Club
09.23 – Asheville, NC @ Fleetwoods
09.24 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
09.26 – New York City, NY @ TV Eye
09.28 – Cleveland, OH @ Happy Dog
09.29 – Detroit, MI @ Lager House
09.30 – Chicago, IL @ Cole’s Bar
10.01 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
10.02 – Dubuque, IA @ The Lift
10.03 – Omaha, NE @ The Sydney
10.04 – Wichita, KS @ Kirby’s Beer Store
10.05 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
10.07 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Quarters
10.08 – Boise, ID @ El Korah Shrine
10.12 – Portland, OR @ Lollipop Shoppe
