The early 2000s came and went, and finally the generation that grew up listening to Paramore put on their big boy — or girl — britches and showed us what it was made of them.
The last half decade or so has seen slews of alternative or grunge inspired pop acts to pass through the zeitgeist. Artists like Machine Gun Kelly continue to assault our ears and Twitter feeds, Olivia Rodrigo garnered overnight success for her single “Drivers License,” and Billie Eilish is still cooking up a stew of goth and bedroom pop.
It’s the product of a generation who had equal access to Blink-182 as they did Katy Perry, and the proof is undeniably in the pudding. 21-year-old Caroline Romano is no different, if there even is such a thing in 2023.
The Nashville based, Mississippi native is coming off the release of her single “Guts” back in March. The track is a mishmash of pop blends that has that classic emo angst kicked into high gear by an arrangement that sounds like it belongs on a Charli XCX record.
The lyrics cover laying all on the line to the point that it feels like you’re literally vomiting out your words, something quite literally felt in your stomach when the brash chorus kicks in. “And now I’m nauseous, and you don’t care.”
While Romano already has a song featured on “Euphoria,” it easily feels like this track could have served as a needle drop in the show’s most recent season.
That being said, her newest release “Mississippi Air” feels more Miley Cyrus than it does Zendaya. That analogy shouldn’t deduct any charm points, however.
Everything Romano has brought to the table lyrically thus far has been pushed forward by her thematic approaches. Where “Guts” may have felt like a leather jacket, “Mississippi Air” stays warm with a flannel shirt on. Grungy guitar licks usher in a nostalgic look at the places and faces that made Romano, and how necessary recognizing those things are for her own development.
Only 21, Romano has spent over half a decade in Nashville pursuing her musical efforts. At 15 she up-and-left her home state of Mississippi to hit Music City for her chance at stardom. Her first release can be dated all the way back to 2017, with her debut LP hitting shelves in February of last year. For Romano, it’s probably hard to view a life outside of show business. Even still, memory lane is calling for a joyride.
The prose of “Mississippi Air” is fairly straightforward, calling on evocative feelings in a world that gets more serious with every passing day. Sentimental objects for Romano and her upbringing paint the picture and engulf you in the settings that are now looked back on fondly.
As for what’s outside of that warm and welcome atmosphere: it is much less inviting. It’s that not-so-sweet spot in aging where the eternal feelings of youth are beginning to fade yet glimpses of the past are still felt in homecomings that seem to revitalize them.
If anything, “Mississippi Air” seems to be playing its own sonic sandbox of a neo-punk sound that surprisingly has fond memories of its hometown. For an artist who has spent her entire young adulthood pursuing an all-encompassing career, this should come as no real surprise. While a sphere of influence with no real borders may be the norm for most Gen-Z artists, the emotions that come with growing up are certainly still here to stay.
Apart from the increase in humidity, or change in barometric pressure, the air in your hometown just feels different. With that, a whole batch of old memories and ones that got away come flooding back into the forefront of one’s mind. They say home is where the heart is, and Romano’s alt-blended ballad seems to concur.
“Mississippi Air” is available on streaming platforms now.
