Caitlin Rose Won’t Buy the Bullshit in ‘Whatchoo’ ’ [Fresh Track]

It’s been several years since Caitlin Rose graced us with new recordings — the last time she popped up in our Week in Fresh Tracks column was in January 2015, about two years after her most recent LP The Stand-In. But just because she hasn’t decided to share new releases with the world yet doesn’t mean she hasn’t been busy. You’ve heard some of what she’s been up to: Rose co-wrote one of Margo Price’s first fan-favorites, “Hurtin’ (on the Bottle),” and she played couple of new tunes at the Ryman in 2018 when she opened for Amanda Shires. If “Whatchoo’,” a new track she’s posted to Bandcamp, is any indication, we’re in for a treat when the time is right for a new record.

The tune revolves around calling bullshit on someone who treats others like garbage, even if maintaining a good relationship might seem like it has its benefits. Rose makes the task of turning the person’s venom back on them seem effortless, as she sings, “You say you got something on everyone / So whatchoo’ got on me?” Sonically, it’s wistful, atmospheric folk-rock, with spirals of spacey guitar and keyboards around what sounds like a strummed nylon-string guitar. 

Rose worked on the songs with some longtime collaborators, as she explains in a note on Bandcamp. She also points out the painful frustration of waiting for the right time to introduce new work into the world.

“I started and wrote the bulk of this song with Tristen 5 years ago and finished it sometime last year,” writes Rose. “Jordan Lehning and I cut this demo shortly thereafter. After 7 years, the mere existence of this song and so many others seems to weigh me down every day so I make this small offering to you in hopes that it will bring me a little bit of a peace. I'm tired of turning in my own grave. I'm tired of waiting for the right time. I'm tired of feeling strangled by circumstance so, fuck it. Here's a song.”

Give it a spin below, and keep up with Rose via social media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook). Also check out her profile on Patreon, where she’s offering supporters a range of demos, performance vids, merch and more.