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The Sammy Rose Band’s new album Cowboy is a collection of several different stages in lead singer Sammy Rose’s life. While some were created during her teenage years, others came from the various relationships and friendships she made in college, or when she returned to her hometown as a young adult.
Songs That Grew Alongside Sammy Rose
“Dancing with the Devil” is the oldest song on the album, and it was written when Rose was only 15. The song originated in a phase where Rose was struggling with guilt, anxiety, and the fear of actually being a bad person. At the time, she was unsure about the root of such negative emotions. It was the record where Rose found an outlet for processing experiences she could not articulate at the time.
Several other songs appeared in the following years based on feelings of confusion and loneliness that teenagers often experience. When Rose was 18, she moved towards romantic topics. Thus, she began writing love songs and even more complex lyrics related to relationships.
Those years became an important part of the album’s foundation. Instead of leaving those songs in the past while developing her skill as a songwriter, Sammy Rose decided to include some of them. As a result, the album covers multiple phases of Rose’s development.
From Teenage Experiences to Adulthood
College brought another change in perspective for Rose. Away from home, she spent time writing in her apartment and processing the experiences that came with becoming more independent. Relationships and friendships continued to influence her songwriting, while everyday experiences gave her more material to draw from.
After finishing her education and coming back to her hometown, the focus point for Rose moved again. This time she found herself reminiscing about past events and changes and watching other people go through their lives
“It’s safe to say Cowboy has a lot more growth, and a little bit of sass that came with being walked on for years,” Rose says when describing how the album differs from her previous work.
Her earlier projects were primarily acoustic and carried a consistently somber quality. Cowboy retains the emotional honesty of that material while introducing a different perspective, informed by the experiences that came between those earlier songs and The Sammy Rose Band’s current chapter.
Making Room for Love, Loss, and Acceptance
The album’s themes extend beyond romantic relationships, touching on family, friendship, grief, personal growth, and acceptance. Rose hopes listeners can find something familiar in the different relationships explored throughout Cowboy, whether that comes through self-love, unrequited love, unconditional love, or the connections people have with those around them.
Those experiences give the forthcoming album a perspective that reaches beyond the events that inspired individual songs. For Rose, Cowboy reflects a period of growing into adulthood and understanding how relationships and personal experiences can shape the person she is today and tomorrow.
“I’d want them to understand that this is just the very beginning of my life, and that I’ve got more to share,” Rose says.
This way of looking at things makes sure that what is coming will be considered as well. Sammy Rose already has some more experiences of relationships, friendships, and family dynamics that she wants to explore in her future music, with a second album being one of those options. For now, Cowboy captures an important period in her development while leaving plenty of room for the next chapter.
Check out The Sammy Rose Band’s new album, out now: