Irish bitchpop four-piece BABYRAT have released their long-awaited debut single ‘Roses’ – the post-breakup clarity anthem that shows the perfect cure for a broken heart is a night on the town in Cork City. The track is a familiar favourite for their audience, having opened over 75 of the band’s live sets to date. Perhaps it might seem an unorthodox approach to spend two years playing songs live before commercially releasing any of them, but this is all part of the innovative way that Zoe Jordan (vocals), Jamie Kierans (guitar), Chewie Lucas (guitar) and Stevie Healy (drums) set themselves apart from other up-and-coming bands out there; well, that and their signature pink-tinted imagery.
BABYRAT hit the ground running after forming at the end of 2024; they set their focus on first building a fanbase they could connect with on the gig scene rather than diving straight into marketing releases, cultivating a passionate community who got exclusive looks at what was to come and played a major factor in spreading the hype. Within a year, the quartet had already ticked off bucket list items like playing staple Irish venues, making their UK debut, entering the festival circuit and supporting a host of major names on tour. Their second year only brought bigger and brighter opportunities and, with momentum showing no signs of slowing down, there was truly no better time to drop this single.
‘Roses’ takes every complex emotion that emerges in the aftermath of a breakup and lets them all out in a union of liberating power pop and lyrical dissonance. Originating as an acoustic number penned by frontwoman Jordan in the fallout of her own bitter split, the lyrics do a superb job of conveying the feelings of frustration and resentment triggered by a freshly broken heart. However, the final production brings the story down a different path; the indie instrumentation doused with punky attitude introduces an air of newfound confidence and a healthy amount of spite. The song becomes less about the breakup itself and more about what comes after – living your best life surrounded by good people and realising it’s all for the better. With repeated shoutouts to iconic Cork City venues The Roundy and An Bróg – local haunts for intimate gigs and late-night dancing respectively – ‘Roses’ doubles as a love letter to the community BABYRAT found at home when they first started out; how fitting it is that this community who’ve already grown to love the track can take the journey with them as they enter this exciting new chapter of their career. If albums in your rotation include Avril Lavigne’s The Best Damn Thing and Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts, look no further for the newest anthemic addition to your playlist right here.
“‘Roses’ is about love turning to spite in a coming-of-age setting. The reason it’s the opening song in every set is the same reason why it is our first release, it’s the perfect introduction to us and sets the tone for what we are and what’s to come.”
– BABYRAT
Join BABYRAT for a dance on their 2027 tour:
23 February – Dolan’s Kasbah, Limerick
24 February – Róisín Dubh, Galway
25 February – The Grand Social, Dublin
26 February – Savoy, Cork
4 March – Dublin Castle, London
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