Role Model opens up in sophomore album 'Kansas Anymore'
By: Madison North
Tucker Pillsbury, better known as ROLE MODEL, just released his most authentic and vulnerable music yet. His sophomore album Kansas Anymore tells stories of heartbreak, longing, and digging deep within yourself. Cohesively it’s a masterpiece, each track falling perfectly into the next, balancing the coolness of ROLE MODEL’s indie pop sound and his new found folky twang.
The album opens with “Writing’s On The Wall,” a track that has the same fun to it as his second single off the album, “Deeply Still In Love”. The tone of “Writing’s On The Wall” shows that chaos you feel in a relationship when you feel like the person you’re with is the right one and that obliviousness that comes with it. Everyone can tell you ‘til they’re blue in the face or the writing could be on the wall right in front of you, but until you’re willing to accept it, it is what it is for now. “Deeply Still In Love” is about being happy for your ex partner and them being able to move on, even if you still care for them deeply. Both heartbreaking and happy, the track encompasses main themes of the album, loving and letting go.
“Look At That Woman” is one of my favorites on the album. The final single off the album, it’s a relaxed tune combined with lyrics: “She was mine, got cold / Now guilts the only thing I hold” draw you into the pain of longing for someone you know is no longer yours. “Frances” is reflective in a similar way. A sweet song that conveys how it feels looking back at this person who was yours and releasing how lucky you were to have gotten to love them.
“Scumbag,” is a self-reflective song in a different way than the others on the album. It’s about the harsh and cruel things you think of yourself and trying to understand why despite these, someone will still love and care for you. We flow into the heart-wrenching “Oh, Gemini” next, where ROLE MODEL sings on wanting the person you care so deeply about to not forget about you when your relationship is said and done. It’s a plea to hold onto the good, knowing that there was a reason you meant so much to each other.
Track six, “Superglue” is one of the more energetic songs off the record. Playful in nature, it delves into wanting to stick with your partner to work through your problems because of how much you care for them. Next is “The Dinner,” easily the most different song off the album. While the rest of the Kansas Anymore is reflective on ROLE MODEL’s self and his past relationship, “The Dinner” talks about being homesick. The song shows how moving to Los Angeles may not be exactly what he thought it would be, and just how different it is from his home state of Maine. The album title comes from this song, capturing his need for familiarity and belonging.
“Slut Era Interlude” is one of the most raw and more vulnerable songs off of this already deeply self-reflective album. An interlude is often a short progression between songs on an album easing us into the next track, however this is a full two minute length song, and it had me wondering if interlude is used in the title to highlight that this is just a brief phase in his life. The song portrays the need for wanting to be connected to someone intimately in hopes to try and forget the person we really care for and our need to try and suppress the pain and love we feel for them.
“So Far Gone” features the soft spoken and easy vocals of Lizzy McAlpine. The duet shows how lack of communication in a relationship can often lead to its downfall and by the time you realize what your issues are, the relationship is already over. “Slipfast” is probably my favorite off the album, where ROLE MODEL shares his tendencies to self-destruct. Wrapped in a carefree flow, it shows how it often seems better to use methods of escaping reality than dealing with your problems face to face.
“Compromise” has some of the most haunting lyrics off the album. With an ending chorus that sings: “Well, I know most things end in disaster for ya / But I’m still keeping all my hopes up high / You deserve a happy ever after, don’t ya? / Even if it’s not the same as mine / Don’t you compromise”. Sometimes love isn’t enough to keep a relationship alive and growing. When you and your partner are going in opposite directions it can be hard to accept that it’s best to separate, but in the end it’s what's best. The final song on the record, ”Something, Somehow, Someday,” is melancholy, but has a hopeful message. ROLE MODEL lists his flaws, while listing all of the best qualities of his ex partner, making them sound like complete opposites, yet in the end there is a way they somehow find their way back to each other, the definition of that relationship however is up for interpretation.
Kansas Anymore is ROLE MODEL’s truest and most open music yet. His sophomore album is a breakup album like I’ve never heard before, it looks deeper into the two people in the relationship, it goes deeper than the surface. The themes of love, loss, longing, and trying to find yourself flow seamlessly together to tell a personal story while also still being able to connect to an audience. Picking standouts on this album is tough if not near impossible, but if I had to narrow it down I would go with “Superglue”, “The Dinner”, “Look At That Woman”, “So Far Gone (feat. Lizzy McAlpine)”, “Slipfast”, and “Slut Era Interlude”. ROLE MODEL may not be in Kansas anymore, but he is definitely bound to make your playlist.