“I’m a synth singer/songwriter… whatever that entails,” says Ariana DiLorenzo, mastermind behind Ariana & the Rose, who was recently kind enough to take some time out of her day to discuss her debut album with me. Ariana and the Rose’s 6-song, debut EP, Love Me, Love Me Not, will be available for free download as of this Wednesday, March 13th. The album is an interesting blend of the popular and the postmodern. The sound isn’t surprising, when Ariana explains, for me, her musical background and the mindset she was in while writing and recording these tracks.
“I come from a singer/songwriter place. I play piano, but I love synth pop. It’s just me trying to find a happy medium. It’s a little more complex than just a party sound. I’d been listening to a lot more rock music and delved into that world. I was looking for bigger melodies and larger brush strokes – more so than the singer/songwriter thing. I was looking for a way to make it a little more accessible to a larger group of people.”
Love Me, Love Me Not was produced by the legendary David Kahne, who has worked with the likes of New Order, Stevie Nicks, and Paul McCartney. Ariana tells me that not only did she really enjoy working with him, but she was already quite the fan.
“He’s shaped some of pop culture’s greatest stuff. He did The Strokes’ First Impressions of Earth and he did the Regina Spektor Begin to Hope album, with all of those great songs… He mentored Jeff Buckley… He’s truly a singer’s producer. He works around finding a singer’s sweet spot. We went into it really trying to develop a sound and we built around that… He’s the best teacher you could have.”
Ariana & the Rose have already gained a reputation for their live show, recently playing Lady Gaga’s “Lil Monsters Heavy Metal Disco,” afterparty, alongside The Dirty Pearls and Lady Starlight. Ariana currently has a small handful of live dates scheduled in NYC throughout March and April (along with an appearance at the College World Series in Omaha this June), but she tells me that there are definitely more dates in the works and that’s what she seems to be most enthusiastic about in 2013.
“I’m most excited about getting the music to everyone. There’s some touring in the works, but nothing’s set in stone. I think the end of summer/fall I’ll be on the road. I perform with a full band. It’s a pop show, with a rock aesthetic. It’s important for a live show to be a ‘show’”
[youtube http://youtu.be/BMLyoV9oWOI]
