ROSLYN'S CURRENT EPOCH — 'HOLOCENE'

BY PORTER CHE

The ice has finally melted on Roslyn's hiatus. Welcome to their newest era.

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When Roslyn—most known for their critically acclaimed and Grammy Award-winning album Equilibrium and their close relationship to their juggernaut sister-band MARS—announced a temporary hiatus almost two years ago due to personal reasons, fans around the world were devastated and shocked to hear the news. While many news outlets reported rising tensions between band members over recent years, mostly due to creative differences, there was never any clear indicator that an announcement regarding a break, temporary or indefinite, was on the horizon. Though, once the news broke, many fans speculated it could lean toward the latter due to Roslyn having already spent a year out of the spotlight before the announcement.

It is now accurate to say that Roslyn has safely reentered the atmosphere and is on course to reclaim their rank amongst the greatest acts of our generation. More importantly, they're not here to reinvent who they are but, rather, to reflect on what brought them here and how they have naturally metamorphosed into their current state.

Given their close relations, it is unsurprising to find out that MARS drummer Rami Mansour was their main collaborator, producing 9 out of 13 tracks, while Stevie Kealoha and Seira Thongkham helped write two of the album's songs alongside Roslyn's front ladies Nora Yeun and Kinsley St. Clair. Mansour brings a much-needed glossy production to an otherwise rugged and experimental sound journey, showcasing his producing chops that have led him to win multiple Producer of the Year awards. The strong collaboration between MARS' Kealoha and Thongkham and Roslyn's Yeun and St. Clair is a brilliantly electric display of their sharp and poignant lyricism, particularly on the fav-favorite track five, 'Her'.

Holocene is an introspective album that paints a vivid picture of the sprawling landscape that is Roslyn's career thus far, with Easter eggs that allude to rumors about their split and what are seemingly responses to those claims, continuing the ongoing conversation around how fans and media interact with artists. It should also be noted, however, that most of the songs weave a beautifully haunted and cathartic exploration of the band members themselves, with a heavy emphasis on their lives before shooting to stardom, as well as a handful of songs that showcase a rather optimistic outlook on moving on from tough times.

While Roslyn's initial efforts with Winter felt a little too carefully crafted for real ingenuity or sincerity, each outing since has proved to be more impressive than the last, and it's clear the band has finally stepped into the right shoes. Holocene beautifully displays the masterful artistry that was much present pre-fame, and opens it up to new heights with the knowledge and wisdom gained from their now years worth of experience. More so, the confidence in their abilities, not only for themselves as individuals but as a collaborative entity, proves unstoppable. What kind of creative differences they might have had before are of no concern; the real question now is what such great heights are they unable to reach now that they've found their true and authentic voice.

There have been numerous discussions recently about the lack of heart and soul behind many of the hottest trending songs given the rise of social media-fueled success—I have many opinions about that, given the uprising of marginalized artists and their success that might have otherwise been difficult to predict, but I don't know if the general public will share my view on that—but Roslyn makes it crystal clear that you can have heart and success, and nothing needs to be sacrificed. They risk it all by putting their souls on display for the world to see, and their hard work has paid off. And, well, let's just say we won't be surprised to see Roslyn win big next year.