We spend much of our lives trying to fit in with what’s expected of us. We learn how to behave, which paths to follow, when to keep quiet and how long we’re allowed to keep chasing our dreams. Worst of all, we internalise those rules until they become our own limits. Australian artist Delilah Rose, approaching fifty, has also asked herself whether it still makes sense to make music at her age. Her answer? To tell all those expectations to fuck off and show that real freedom might lie in unlearning everything that has stopped us from being ourselves.
That’s the idea behind Unlearning, her second album, released this October after three years of upheaval, setbacks and doubt. Recorded with the All-Star Ladies of Rock, it’s an album about identity, spirituality and the grind of everyday life, but also about reclaiming our voices, both individually and collectively.
And what a lovely way to begin. After a short spoken intro featuring words by Hildegard of Bingen and Richard Rohr, “Unlearning” wraps us in delicate acoustic arpeggios, harp and cello. It builds an intimate, almost ceremonial atmosphere somewhere between the folk of Joni Mitchell and the darker side of Chelsea Wolfe. The spiritual thread carries on into “Sophia”, where psychedelic rock and Delilah’s powerful voice, with an expressiveness that recalls Grace Slick, offer a celebration of feminine wisdom that challenges religion’s patriarchal interpretations.
But Unlearning also keeps its feet firmly on the ground. “Bleeding Hearts Club”, with its gorgeous guitars, soulful organ and unhurried pace, captures the exhaustion of a life slipping away between work, bills and family responsibilities. There’s barely any time left to live, and our screens swallow up what little we have.
Delilah Rose moves effortlessly between styles. She goes from the bright Americana of “Times a Wastin’”, reminding us that life is also there to be enjoyed, to the unbridled rock ’n’ roll of “Highway Queen”, an ode to freedom and desire with Rose firmly in the driver’s seat, choosing her own road.
The album doesn’t let up for a moment. In fact, some of its best songs are saved for the final stretch. “Red Riding Hood”, with an acoustic, alternative edge reminiscent of Ani DiFranco, turns the fairy tale on its head to take aim at false promises and those in power who rely on fear to stay there. In “Ceasefire!”, Delilah makes no secret of her helplessness in the face of the genocide in Gaza, even questioning what good writing songs can do against such horror. It begins softly, almost fragile, but electric guitars, layered vocals and spoken passages gradually build, the anguish rising until everything erupts. It sends shivers down your spine.
The magnificent “Gaslighter” confronts psychological manipulation with hard-hitting, bluesy rock that gives way to a long, almost psychedelic instrumental passage. It’s a song about taking back control of your life, but also about the scars manipulation leaves behind. Finally, “Shimmer Shimmer” turns everything she’s been through into a message of hope for the girls coming up behind her: don’t let anyone dictate your path, and show the world who you really are.
Unlearning opens with a whisper that a revolution is coming and ends by urging us to shine without asking anyone’s permission. Because unlearning isn’t about giving up who we are. It’s about putting down all the weight we were never meant to carry.
Listen to Unlearning in full on Bandcamp.
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