Claire Rosinkranz Perfectly Captures The Fusion Of Emotions Accompanying The Art Of Growing Up On 'Just Because'

Claire Rosinkranz has released her new, ethereal album, and it really has been highly anticipated.

The nineteen-year-old from California found her audience and great success on TikTok after sharing her song ‘Backyard Boy’ in 2020- her career took off and she has subsequently released multiple EPs and singles since then.

The artist writes indie pop music with a uniquely soft, dynamic and almost conversational tone, allowing her listeners to press repeat on her records over and over again. 

'Just Because' itself consists of thirteen tracks, each with their own messages appealing to young people everywhere.

Rosinkranz’s style is such that her lyrics cater to the angsty, confused and doubting minds of our youth; her messages of not being alone in trying to work out how the future will pan out, or being stuck one person whose existence is the reason for your’s come across impeccably in these new songs. She demonstrates just how normal it is to feel stuck in teenage years, whilst providing a soundtrack everyone can relate to.

The first song is ‘123’ and it kicks off the album perfectly, setting the tone for an extraordinary piece. As is the case with Rosinkranz’s style, it’s incredibly dynamic from the get-go and harbours a tempo much like a peaceful ocean setting as it opens. The energetic atmosphere picks up moreso in her second track ‘Sad In Hawaii’, with a faster tempo developing alongside an upbeat, toe-tapping rhythm. Paradoxically, this song discusses the ability to feel such a huge range of emotions in every situation, a perhaps darker and more serious message that is wonderfully mixed with Rosinkranz’s positive tone of voice. 

The next three songs continue to have this calmer, more optimistic sound, with a gentle tone and higher pitch to the instruments and the vocals. With lyrics such as “Up in point dume picking flowers/ I could stay like this for hours” and “We’re just looking for a good life/Swinging at the stars”, the sense of child-like innocence invading a world of adulthood is captured beautifully. The artist created the album to be a reflection of life as a new adult, navigating the wonderfully confusing world of adulthood, and it’s evident that this aim was met here. The innocence of childhood grips onto the transition to becoming an adult, and Rosinkranz doesn't hide away from this but embraces it, utilising the fear and turbulence to create a musical masterpiece.

Nostalgia being as crucial and prevalent as it is in this life transition, the next track of ‘Screw Time’ seems perfectly placed. Here, Rosinkranz captures the unique idea of teenage dreams deserting the mind and instead embedding themselves in the daunting reality of being an adult. Everyone wants these dreams to remain with them forever, and so the lyric “King’s of the castle, wish I could time travel/ Cause it feels like I was just 17” certainly is something her fans can relate to. This shared experience is painful, but the singer gives fans a channel to feel as deeply as they must, a truly special element of her music production.

As the album begins to close, we hear the song ‘Banksy’, with its distinct opening of a much slower tempo and more melancholic tone than before in this collection. It appears that, as listeners, we are moving closer and closer to the centre of Rosinkranz’s deepest thoughts; this track is one where she really explicitly opens up. The repreated line of “I’m so lonely” is of course a feeling that everyone can relate to on some level, but this overarching message of leaving behind a childhood for an adult life allows another layer of grief to be added here. It feels as though she is longing for her innocence and teenage dreams, and feels more empty in their absence. 

This pure and exposed side of the album continues into the final songs but in contrasting manners. In track twelve, ‘Pools and Palm Trees’, a jaunty and rhythmic tone is adopted, but over lyrics indicating yearning for somebody. We hear of the importance they play in her life too, as described by their likeness to the peaceful and beautiful concept of “Pools and palm trees/ Swaying in the breeze”. In the final song ‘Mess’, however, the rawness of Rosinkranz’s music seeps through moreso than any other in this release. The opening lyric of “How do I lay this down? Every time you’re around/ I wanna be close to you” immediately shows that a different course is going to be taken here, one that conveys the true anguish faced in the teenage years and its subsequent follow-up in adulthood. She sings “I’m so problematic/ acting erratic, how do I feel?”, an emotion that we can all relate to in some way; the tribulations of growing up leave people in the scary void of the unknown, but Rosinkranz acknowledges such and allows us a place to leave our fears whilst feeling comforted that they are ones shared by millions around the globe.

Overall, the album is unique and incredibly dynamic. Known for her indie-pop sound, Rosinkranz really does impress listeners with each track, and with her upcoming tour filling the diaries of so many fans globally, excitement is in abundance. 

Abby Price 

@axprice75

Image: ‘Just Because’ Official Album Cover