Larissa Rook – exit (2023)
Music is a catharsis. It is about expressing your pain, loss, regret, whatever, and surviving. This is what Larissa Rook is all about – survival. A breast cancer survivor, Rook’s songs are often intimate, vulnerable and connect with others on a deeper level. Featured on numerous playlists and music publications, such as Music For All and Wildfire Magazine, Rook is gaining a following on an international scale. Then again, she already had a fanbase after touring and performing with her former band, Wormwood Scrubs. The latest addition to her solo discography is the EP exit.
Inspired by the likes of Florence and the Machine, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Stevie Nicks, Larissa Rook embraces old-school post-punk merging it with dream-pop and a tinge of soul in ‘exit’. A simplistic combination of drums and synths, Rook creates a hazy ambience in a stark acoustic melody. Interestingly enough, while there is a bareness to the arrangement, it seems kaleidoscopic in its intensely profound manner. In fact, it may be the starkness that enhances the poignancy of the overall sonic tapestry.
Originally penned as a song from her days with Wormwood Scrubs, Rook breathed life back into the old track while recovering from sudden hearing loss. As with many of her songs, ‘exit’ is about being a survivor and “finding a way to do something even if it is hard or challenging…” Rook further explains that ‘exit’ is “…about figuring out when to let go of people, places or things that no longer serve you…”
I mentioned that the new EP is a three-track release, but it is one song worked several ways. First, we have the explicit version followed by the radio edit and finally, the instrumental version. Always eager to tinker with her songs, experiment and make something new, it is a pleasure to hear her eclectic spin on ‘exit’. Interestingly enough, while each has a similar tone with similar lyricism, a slight divergence exists beneath the melody making each track unique.
For more from Larissa Rook, check out her official website, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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