Chappell Roan Leads a Feministic Pop Revolution in 'The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess'

There are few names bigger in the current pop music scene than Chappell Roan. Her popularity built organically before the supernova explosion of her mainstream success heading into the summer of 2024. With credits as the opening act of Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS World Tour and headlining or subheadlining credits for a slew of music festivals, including Coachella and Chicago’s upcoming Lollapalooza, under her belt, Chappell Roan has wowed audiences with her bold attitude, fierce stage presence, and a setlist chock-full of hits. But the thing about Chappell having a setlist full of those hits? She has one full-length album, her colossally successful debut The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, released in September of 2023. And the star power of Chappell’s debut is a once-in-a-generation phenomenon - or should I say, femininomenon?

Standout tracks: “Femininomenon” “Red Wine Supernova” “Casual” “HOT TO GO!"

My favorites: “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” “My Kink Is Karma” “Pink Pony Club” “California”

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess doesn’t waste a single second on false pretenses - opener ‘Feminonmenon’ is everything you need to know about Chappell Roan. An addictive pop beat builds chorus after chorus, Chappell’s cheek oozing from every lyric as she calls to action “What we really need is a/Feminonmenon!” Leaning into her country-influenced beat patterns with a blown-out bass line on ‘Red Wine Supernova,’ Chappell powers through another undeniable hit. She’s as relatable as ever as she belts out “Well, back at my house/I've got California king/Okay, maybe it's a twin bed/And some roommates/Don't worry, we're cool!” Chappell’s smoother vocals carry her through jazzier, darker dance tracks in ‘After Midnight’ and ‘My Kink Is Karma,’ where she proves everything is a little more fun if you treat it so, including the sultriest of sultry-pop and brash bitterness.

While Chappell Roan could easily hide behind her huge personality and colossal pop hits, she has the vocal chops to shine in slower-paced, more emotionally-charged tracks as well, including ‘Coffee,’ ‘Kaleidoscope,’ and ‘California.’ Yet she finds the perfect balance of all her styles in ‘Casual,’ balancing remarkably relatable and sharply shrewd with the sonic atmosphere of a dark gymnasium dappled in disco ball lighting. She guards her heart tightly, impassively yearning for a partner who keeps her at arm's length: “I thought you thought of me better/Someone you couldn’t lose/You said, ‘We’re not together’/So now when we kiss, I have anger issues.”

From ‘Pink Pony Club’ to ‘Naked in Manhattan,’ Chappell injects a pop-tinged desperation and brutal honesty into her rise to fame spanning from West Hollywood to the Big Apple, showing it hasn’t all been glitz and glamour. She references the LA gay bar in ‘Pink Pony Club’ as the place she’s dreamed of and where she finally feels she belongs, much to the chagrin of those left behind in her Midwest roots.  She sees New York as a freeing place where “You can try things/An inch away from more than just friends.” Both tracks sonically mirror the glittering cities they’re set in, with ‘Pink Pony Club’ taking a laid-back synth-charged soundscape while ‘Naked in Manhattan’ is sleek, glossy, and ever-pulsing.

With ‘Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl’ and ‘HOT TO GO!,’ Chappell Roan settles herself into the modern median between Madonna and Hannah Montana, with the former track inadvertently claiming itself as the ultimate feminism anthem, pounding through every second with stadium-powered production. And if you haven’t learned the ‘HOT TO GO!’ dance yet, just do it– it’s out with ‘YMCA’ and in with ‘HOT TO GO!,’ because, you know, this is Chappell Roan’s fantastically feministic world and we’re all just living in it.

Despite all the stratospheric rising highs chased across The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, humbling, heartwrenching ‘California’ is the fall of the Midwest Princess. It chronicles the long-fought road Chappell has taken to make a name for herself and the heartbreaking defeat of needing to leave the “new lands, west coast, where my dreams lay” in exchange for the “seasons in Missouri, my dying town.” But Chappell would never leave us feeling down; with album closer ‘Guilty Pleasure’ she embraces the freedom of being a little bit of a mess. Because what’s the fun in having it all figured out?

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING: FULLY OBSESSED

Ashton Irwin Makes His Electrifying Solo Debut at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles: A Concert Review & Gallery

Less than 48 hours after the release of his second solo record Blood on the Drums, Ashton Irwin, best known as the drummer of Australian pop-rock sensation 5 Seconds of Summer, took to the stage at the mod-gothic Belasco Theater in Downtown Los Angeles to perform his first ever solo performance on 18 July. From Irwin’s powerful and passionate stage presence to the dedicated fans dressed in Blood on the Drums-inspired red roses and black lace, from signed show posters at the merch stand to the roses thrown onstage with attached notes of appreciation from fans, the Belasco was filled with tangible gratitude from Ashton and fans alike. A one-night-only performance from Ashton has been a long time coming– and he made every second of waiting worth it. 

From the moment the lights dimmed, Ashton had the room under his raw and rebellious spell, soaring through a revved-up rendition of “Straight to Your Heart” to open the show, before blazing through high-powered performances of most of his sophomore project. I’m endlessly grateful to Ashton’s team that I found myself in the photo pit during the opening of his set, and his intense magnetism with the fans was only broken in the moments when he ascended to another musical dimension as he stepped behind the drums, adorned with a bold-yet-understated “Ai” logo on their kick drum. Beams of pulsing red light spattered the Belasco as Ashton pounded the kit through “Breakup” and “BLOOD ON THE DRUMS.” Rocking smudgy black eyeliner and shedding his leather suitcoat to reveal a black fringe vest, Ashton embraced his new role as a solo frontman with the vigor and capability of a seasoned professional.

The view from the balcony during “I See The Angels” and “Lose You” was the best place to see the palpable connection between Ashton and the crowd below as he settled into the middle of his set. He simultaneously engaged with fans and belted out vocal lines with the precision of his studio recordings, further flexing his wings as a vibrant multi-talented performer. And while most of the setlist focused on the tracks from Blood on the Drums, the earliest of solo-Ashton fans were satisfied with performances of a handful of tracks from his 2020 debut Superbloom, including electrifying “Greyhound” and nostalgia-inducing “Drive,” which even had Ashton’s bandmate Calum Hood visibly bopping in the upper stage balcony.

From the moment he picked up an acoustic guitar to close out “The Canyon,” Ashton was entrancing in a more simple, unguarded way. He effortlessly created a shining moment in an unforgettable night as he stood under a single violet-hued spotlight, guiding the audience through an emotional, stripped-back duet to “California Holds Her Breath.” Even when the rest of the night's memories have dimmed, the simple power of the connection felt that moment is something I’ll still be able to feel.

After watching and admiring Ashton for the past ten years, it’s hard for me to articulate the feeling of sitting in the center of the photo pit as golden light filled the stage and he poured everything into closing out the show with reminiscent “Glory Days” and triumphant “Have U Found What Ur Looking For?.” It’s this feeling that is the magic that Ashton Irwin created in the Belasco – a place where every person, Ashton included, felt united by an existentialistic love for music and the people and memories it’s brought us. Maybe we should do it again, Ashton? 

REVIEW: Ashton Irwin's 'Blood on the Drums’ is a Reflective, Genre-Bending Masterpiece

This article is cross-posted on That Fangirl Life: https://thatfangirllife.com/2024/07/review-blood-on-the-drums-music-to-our-ears/

Ashton Irwin first made his solo debut in 2020, with his deeply personal, metamorphic alt-rock album Superbloom. Crafted in the uncertainty and isolation of the pandemic, Irwin explored an array of sonic textures and vulnerable subject matter on the project. Ashton is best known as the drummer of Australian pop-rock band 5 Seconds of Summer, and since Superbloom, he’s written and released 5SOS5, the band’s fifth studio album, and toured globally twice with the band. Almost immediately after getting off the road from the band’s 2023 tour, Irwin was itching to get back in the studio with both Superbloom collaborator Matthew Pauling and longtime band collaborator John Feldmann to create the next chapter of his solo career.

In just a few months, Ashton composed dozens of ideas, ultimately landing on the sixteen that make up his stellar sophomore solo project, Blood on the Drums. Released in two parts, Irwin released the first eight tracks as The Thorns on June 12, followed by the second half of the album, The Roses, on July 17 via AI Music Group and BMG. The record finds Irwin confident in his sound as a solo artist, pushing his pop-rock roots into a grittier, more reflective and magnetic dynamic.

Stand-out tracks: “Breakup” “BLOOD ON THE DRUMS” “The Canyon” “California Holds Her Breath”

My Favorites: “I See The Angels” "Lose You” “Indestructible” “Little Spark”

SIDE 1: THE THORNS

Expansive, acoustic-driven opener "Straight To Your Heart" sets the tone for Blood on the Drums with its captivating new wave-influenced production and light, poppy hook:“You’ll be my hero here in the dark/Saving my mind from ticking/Show me the way straight into your heart.” This track is on the lighter side compared to the rest of The Thorns but serves as a distinct transition from the sonic landscape of Superbloom.  “Breakup” is bold and unyielding, a clever, pounding justification for infidelity: “You say you got a lover/But you say I'm not like him”.  With Irwin’s deeper vocals repeatedly echoing "Breakup/Right now/You should be with me now" over a driving rhythm, this track begs for windows-down driving and steering wheel head-banging.

The project hits its stride with triumphant title-track “BLOOD ON THE DRUMS.” Sonically building upon a sound defined by Irwin’s own "SCAR" and "Greyhound," Ashton’s vocals shine brighter than ever before over a multidimensional drum pattern, exploring his greatest fears as someone who lives and breathes his art: “I’ve been holding on too long/Reaching out for what is gone/Will I stand or will I fall?/Will I make it out alive?/Will I ever learn to fly?.” Later in the track, the lyrical trepidation of “They say ‘slow down, give it up, give it up’/Don’t you dare listen, never giving it up” implies Ashton’s unyielding diligence in the face of doubt. 

Whether by accident or design, thrumming powerhouse "Indestructible" concludes The Thorns with the most addictive, unrelenting track of them all. Amidst the sizzling bass lines and dominating vocals, Irwin rises out of the ashes as formidable, electrifying, and genuinely indestructible. The pains and triumphs of the last decade of his career pulse through the larger-than-life production, complete with a satisfying crash through the glass as Irwin sings, “People don't ever believe it/Doesn't mean that you don't feel it/Looking up into ceiling/Trying but you're barely dealing/You're falling in love with the feeling.”

SIDE 2: THE ROSES

“The Canyon” is the most quintessential Ashton Irwin track, from its fantastically crisp instrumental production to its soul-baring lyricism, laced in hope for the future despite darkness in the past. And while Irwin’s unfathomable talent on the kit shines through as brightly as ever on “The Canyon”, the slinky acoustics that come to be trademark of The Roses side of the album make the soft “Now I’m coming out of the dark” coda ending of this track a stunning transition into the second half of the project.

The dark beauty of stratospheric “California Holds Her Breath” and light romanticism of “Wild Things” see Irwin experimenting with sonic illustration to intentionally evoke complex emotions, even when that means playing into the absence of his characteristic rhythm-based production style. The true gift of “California Holds Her Breath” is the vivid imagery dappled across its lyrics, with the choruses building in desperation from “I can see the future in these hills/And the glitter in your tears” to “I can see your heart reflected off that disco ball/Writing down your next confession on the bathroom wall.”

Nostalgic “Glory Days” and meditative “Endless Wave” round out The Roses with genre-bending explorations into sounds recognizable as respectively influenced by rock greats like Bruce Springsteen and Sting, while maintaining something that remains distinctly recognizable as Ashton Irwin. Perhaps that Ashton trademark is the profound gratitude for where he’s been as one of a band (“The world was ours to take/Our hearts will never break/Sounding like a perfect story/Of the glory days”) or the simple recognition of his individual humanity (“I love to watch the morning go by/It’s moving by so fast I could cry/You can’t resist the change/You surf the endless wave”), all wrapped up in dynamic, rich instrumentation that can only be achieved by a well-rounded artist who knows the power of his own vulnerability.

Blood on the Drums is a cohesive musical accomplishment for Ashton Irwin, masterfully documenting his sacrifices made in the name of art and the evolution of his personal strength. To the casual listener, Blood on the Drums is a rock-solid, addictive cruiser of an album, but to longtime fans of Ashton, it’s gratifying proof of his undeniable self-actualization as a solo artist.

 

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING: FULLY OBSESSED