Any human and organizational development major will tell you about the program’s focus on interpersonal development and collaboration. That’s why June Rosewell (BS ‘23), a former HOD major herself, understands the importance of people and relationships to her music. The three producers who worked on her new EP, “the dog bit at such an angle,” are all friends of hers. The album art was made by her childhood friend, Alana Kneesaw. Rosewell’s connection to herself is just as important; she uses music as a way to explore herself.
“I’ve definitely always centered [my music] around relationships with others and myself, and I really focus on that human aspect of it,” Rosewell said. “Especially with this EP, I think I’ve put the connections together, like how I have always processed my experiences, how that began in my childhood and how that translates to my current relationships.”
Rosewell has learned a lot through the creation of her EP about her artist identity. Even though she has been writing songs since the third grade, it has only been about two years since she started releasing music. Her first solo project, “Suppositions,” released in June 2021, but “the dog bit at such an angle” is much more cohesive as Rosewell leaned into lyricism. Overall, the writing is stronger in terms of the individual songs and at the project level. My personal favorite is “Cosmos,” but all of the songs are worth a listen if you’re looking to get into the local indie scene.
“There are a lot more nuances [in my lyrics]. I also tried to include more vivid imagery than I used to — I think I used to tend to fall into more clichés — I’ve been trying to, you know, really include specific details,” Rosewell said. “I’ve been trying to work on creating more cohesive stories.”
Rosewell also focused on experimentation in “the dog bit at such an angle.” The EP’s themes developed naturally from Rosewell’s musical exploration. Inspired by artists like Angel Olsen, Lutalo and Wednesday, Rosewell intentionally pushed the envelope with her producers to create a sound that was uniquely hers, matching her personal and vulnerable lyrics.
“I think that the experimentation process is often the most fun. We’ll always discover ways that the song can exist that I never would have even imagined that I really enjoy. It’s a very long, arduous process so it’s also kind of painful, but that’s always exciting,” Rosewell said.
This experimental process — including production and self-exploration — helped develop the theme of Rosewell’s project. Her music is deeply personal and so is her message.
“I would say [the songs are] all chaotic… And that’s kind of the whole message of the EP. [That’s why] ‘a solid state’ is the first track, and there’s a lyric in ‘a solid state’ that’s the title of the EP,” Rosewell said. “That song is really about trying to find stability and peace and a solid state where you can just exist and be yourself and not constantly be going through stressful changes. Not that that’s all it’s about.”
Overall, Rosewell is proud of “the dog bit at such an angle,” though she’s excited for other projects. She recently wrote her “first happy song” and has two other songs in the works — “California,” which is dedicated to a close friend, and “Michigan Song,” which is about old friends who had a falling out.
