ROSE HAZE – “HEAVEN OR LAS VEGAS”
A SPILL EXCLUSIVE MUSIC PREMIERE
ROSE HAZE is an Oakland-based, genre-bending musical project described as “otherworldly in a spaced out way” (Glide), “saturated with lush synth pads” (Petal Motel), and “dramatic, majestic rock” (The Stranger). Frontwoman Kate Ramsey emits an ethereal feminine prowess and powerful panache. She is a mercurial songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist with a penchant for experimental soundscapes. Her unabashedly vulnerable lyrics explore the depths of the human experience. Ramsey performs on guitar, synths, or bass all of which accent her moody vocals and often improvisational movements. Electric violinist and bassist, Yoko Miyakawa, frequently records and tours with the band. On violin, she adds layers of lush spacey sounds using various effects pedals, and while on bass, she keeps it very in the pocket and grooving. Drummer Dustin Coker anchors the overall sound in jazzy kraut-rock percussive stylings. His playing has been compared to that of Jaki Liebezeit of Can. Their sound is vast and experimental and lands somewhere within new wave, dream pop, shoegaze, synth-pop, post-punk, psych-rock, and noise rock. The band is in a transformational phase after their masterful guitarist Ruben Gonzales passed away unexpectedly from cancer on January 31, 2024. Gonzales was a very kind and devoted member of the band. He stunned listeners live and in the studio with his textural wall-of-sound tones and screaming guitar leads that were very much his own. He produced and mixed all of their music from 2019-2023. Gonzales will forever be missed and lives on through his music and in the hearts of many.
When Kate Ramsey met Ruben Gonzales in early 2019, the two immediately felt a musical kinship unlike anything they had ever experienced, and they coined their friendship an “eternal marriage in music.” Together they morphed the formerly progressive rock sound of Rose Haze into what it is today, which lands amidst dream pop, shoegaze, new wave, psych rock, and experimental noise.
The two often compared their sonic styles to that of a “Robin Guthrie and Elizabeth Fraser” of Cocteau Twins, which eventually led to them recording their cover of “Heaven or Las Vegas.”
Gonzales passed away unexpectedly on Jan 31, 2024 at the young age of 37 to complications of cancer, an illness no one knew he had, including himself. On the day he passed, Rose Haze received the mix back for their cover of “Heaven or Las Vegas.” What began as a tribute to Cocteau Twins has emerged into a sacred song for the band to honor their beloved Gonzales. Rose Haze chose to cover this track in particular because Ramsey enjoyed trying to decipher the lyrics, loved the melody, and knew that Gonzales would crush the guitars. As Rose Haze loves many other Cocteau Twins songs, Gonzales wasn’t so keen on covering “Heaven or Las Vegas” at first, but the track grew on him as he discovered its nuances during recording. Ramsey feels that as an artist it’s a huge risk to cover a track, and at first wanted to make it really different from the original track. But after they got going, she decided she didn’t want to deviate too far because Gonzales’ guitar tracks were so spot on. The band derives much inspiration from Cocteau Twins, and this is their tribute to the band, and now also to Gonzales.
Rose Haze
[Single]
(Independent)
Release Date: April 23, 2024
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