Rosali are a band: singer, songwriter and guitarist Rosali Middleman likes to stress this in her interviews. But it’s a band that very definitely revolves around Middleman, her brilliant songwriting and strong but still ethereal voice.
Rosali first came to my attention when her name cropped up on various listings for ‘albums you might have missed’ in 2021 for her quite brilliant but still very definitely under-the-radar album, “No Medium”.
Rosali have barely graced this site, which is in some ways indicative of Middleman’s meandering career so far. She’s been playing music for decades, collaborating with other musicians and operating on the fringes of the indie world, choosing experimentation ahead of any whiff of commercial drive. Growing up in a family of seven kids to Grateful Dead-loving musician parents, Middleman and her siblings sang together and picked up a variety of instruments at different stages, so it seems music has always been around her.
The first part of her music career was based in and around Philadelphia. In 2016, she emerged out of the DIY loft bedroom post-pop scene with a couple of more polished singer-songwriter albums that were well-received but didn’t really kick things off for her. All that changed around 2020, when she teamed up with the Omaha-based, Crazy Horse-ish indie-rock band, Mowed Sound.
Middleman and the band brought out the best of each other to quite a remarkable effect. The result was the album, “No Medium”, and numerous highly-regarded, end-of-year lists for best album of 2021. Unfortunately, Covid lockdown derailed their progress but the plaudits for the album were such that Middleman left her beloved Philly to relocate to Omaha to be closer to her new bandmates. It’s proved to be a good move.
Earlier this year, Rosali signed to Merge Records and they’ve now released the outstanding new album, “Bite Down”. The Neil Young-inspired guitar work might be a little more restrained than on the previous album, but the songwriting and playing from this excellent band has just moved from strength to strength. If you’ve enjoyed the recent releases from Waxahatchee, Hurray for the Riff Raff, MJ Lenderman or similar, have a listen to “No Medium” or “Bite Down”, two of my favourite albums from the last few years.
A new name to me …… but on the strength of the 3 tracks showcased I will definitely be exploring further. Thanks Cam.
Great to hear this, Alan. Thanks for the feedback. Cam