Nashville-based, indie-pop trailblazer Caroline Romano releases her intoxicating, indie-rock single "Guts" that tackles the frustrations and anxieties of navigating social situations. Following her debut album release Oddities & Prodigies, Romano extends her coming of age storytelling that is able to resonate in the hearts of listeners who are experiencing growing pains and heartache. Romano talks with Unpublished Magazine about navigating social situations where she feels like she's spilling her guts to someone and the creative process of returning to her indie-rock roots.
Alt-pop darling Caroline Romano returns with her new single, "Guts." Following "Fighting A War," her recent pop-R&B collaboration with Julian Rose, "Guts" sees Caroline returning to her indie-rock roots. Romano's distinctive voice glows amidst a whirlwind of glittering guitar and frenzied percussion.
At just 21 years old, the songstress has already written and performed misty-eyed ballads and fiery pop-punk anthems into the hearts of our generation. Following the success of her debut album Oddities & Prodigies, "Guts" is a journey of Romano's artistic growth and a guide through her stories of resiliency and conquering growing pains. The powerhouse guides listeners through her sanguine and vulnerable outlook on life and her long career ahead.
"I've always had this thing in social settings – especially at house parties, bars, or really anywhere with pretty strangers – where I feel like people can see right through me, like I'm completely transparent," Romano says. "So, in some terrible attempt at compensation, I'll say too much or drink too much. I end up spilling my guts to people as a form of free therapy, or self-sabotage, I'm not sure which it is. And then I watch them watch me dig myself further, with my guts on the floor in front of them. That's how I end things before they've even started, and that's what this song is about. It's frantic and eager and frustrated all at the same time."
Romano expresses powerful emotions that evoke from a spectrum of events following anxiety from social situations and vulnerability from exposing her emotions to strangers. Leaving no thought unsaid, "Guts" proves to be an extension of Oddities & Prodigies coming of age story that is candid and introspective as Romano shows her multifaceted nature, creating a space for her listeners that relate to her oddities and prodigies motto.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Thank you for sitting down and talking to Unpublished Magazine. For any readers who aren't familiar, what inspires your artistic persona and creative style?
[CAROLINE]: I think just life in general. Life begs to be written and I'm constantly finding new things to be inspired by. A lot of artists that I grew up listening to, anywhere from Taylor Swift to My Chemical Romance, inspires just my day-to-day writing, but I think it's just experiences and life.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Say if someone hasn't heard of your music yet, which song would you show them to introduce your discography and why does that track stand out to you the most?
[CAROLINE]: That's really hard. I probably would show them my most recent single "Guts," because it's very introspective and self-deprecating. It has a lot going on track-wise and it's energetic at the same time.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Your music is extremely confessional and feels like you're almost reading out of a diary because of the detailed experiences and the intimate emotions, especially in songs like "Guts" and "Panic Attack." How does it feel to release such vulnerable works out in the world?
[CAROLINE]: It feels good. It's very cathartic. There's definitely some nerves that come with putting anything out that's super raw and where listeners can think that's probably too much information. I think as long as I'm telling the truth – the biggest truth – that's really all you can do as an artist.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Your latest single "Guts" sees you returning to your indie-rock roots. What was the inspiration behind the song?
[CAROLINE]: I turned 21 in September and that really amplified my social awkwardness and going out to bars and being around a lot of people. I just found that if I got nervous or really liked someone, I would always end up saying too much and oversharing and it would become really awkward. It just got to a point where I had to write about it because it was happening too often.
[UNPUBLISHED]: I would love to know about the creative process. How did you go through this experience and how did it affect your process of creating music, like has it helped you express any feelings or lead off any steam?
[CAROLINE]: Definitely. I think what's been interesting is, I always say this, like I didn't think that many people would actually relate to it, but there are people who share such very specific details of their lives that there's a common thread through all of our lives. Releasing a song like "Guts," I learned that a lot of people I know really relate to that kind of thing too. I wrote it with my friends. I came down and after a night where I feel like I've over shared and I just sat down I was like "guys, does anybody feel like this" and we all wrote it and it was so much fun.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Did you take any creative risks or experiment more, either lyrically or sonically, with "Guts" since your debut album release Oddities & Prodigies?
[CAROLINE]: "Guts" is definitely more hyper-pop and more techie than a lot of my indie-rock releases, which is really fun. I really love that lane and a lot of the stuff that I'm doing is falling into that lane as well. I am trying to be more unfiltered with every song I write and it aligns with that direction.
[UNPUBLISHED]: When we previously talked, you said that for Oddities & Prodigies, you wanted it to feel like a coming of age story and there has been a lot of times where people don't touch on what happens after the coming of age, and you're leaving that open to whatever you write next. Is that an underlying theme or message for "Guts" following Oddities & Prodigies?
[CAROLINE]: Definitely. "Guts" is the second part of the story that I am telling and I think you're still growing up, but people don't really talk about it as much. I think that definitely fits into that. I personally feel more awkward and growing into myself now than I did when I was in high school, so I think it's interesting and I definitely am trying to still talk about that.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What do you love most about "Guts?" Is there like a specific lyric or message that stands out to you the most that you always gravitate towards?
[CAROLINE]: I really like the line that goes, "The ears above that gold chain, they're not listening anymore," because I feel like every guy I talked to at every bar has a gold chain and it's just my magnet. I think that's a specific detail that people can relate to but also it's just for me as well.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What can listeners expect from you in this new era of music?
[CAROLINE]: It's a lot more focused on heartbreak rather than self reflection which is nothing I thought I'd be writing anytime soon, but I did and it's more mature but still very young and still very clueless on how to live life. It's still me.
[UNPUBLISHED]: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like for you that you would like to share with Unpublished?
[CAROLINE]: I'm feeling excited, but also very like pent up and eager but frustrated at the same time. I want to release all the songs and make it happen now and I wish I could find a way to have people hear them at once. I'm trying to do TikTok but that's not my strong suit, but I know it's working for a lot of people. I feel excited because I feel really, really passionate about this music that's coming out. "Guts" is the first part off my upcoming six or seven song EP that follows a very common theme. It's called A Brief Epic and I'm really excited for that.
For upcoming music releases and updates, you can follow Caroline Romano on Instagram. Stream "Guts" out on all platforms. Listen to Oddities & Prodigieshere.
