LP Walkthru: Delilah Rose - Moxie

Image Credit: Tashi Hall

Following singles Take The Wheel and Thin Black Line, W.A based Delilah Rose is ready to show that she’s got Moxie (meaning “force of character, determination or nerve”), with her blues-and-roots infused rock and roll record of the same name out today.

Named Moxie as that’s just what Rose would need to not only record and release the album, but to craft a conceptual, engaging, Fringe-style cabaret inspired live show, the album the album and concept as a whole takes cues and inspiration from the masters of the golden era of 70s rock & roll.

Inspired largely by American band Fanny, one of the first all-female rock groups to gain both critical acclaim and commercial success, Moxie features ten tracks of rock and roll that draw on a wide range of styles, with slower, powerful ballads sitting alongside rollicking upper tempo jaunts. With her all-female band alongside, Moxie was recorded almost entirely live with all five girls in the studio to capture the energy and spark of their live shows. 

Spending years researching and digging into not just her sound but the full musical concept, a large inspiration for the record was to create a unique live show beyond just playing the album on stage (not that there’s anything wrong with that), with the Moxie live show incorporating costume changes, lighting and sound cues as part of the engaging experience, with a tribute to Fanny as the show starts with a dance to their influential cut Ain’t That Peculiar. 

With Moxie out today and some shows on the horizon, Delilah was kind enough to breakdown each track on the album for us - have a listen and get to know!

I See You

This is really a love letter to the person in the corner of the room who feels unseen or invisible. I’ve been at shows singing on stage and often see the sadness people carry. I have wanted to reach out and say it’s ok, I see you! So i wrote a song for them instead. I've felt the very same way. It’s a season and this too shall pass. Keep on going!

Take The Wheel

Take The Wheel is a song of timely influences, equal parts inspired by the ever-chaotic global developments in our post-Trump era, while also exploring aspects of mental health and truly getting to know oneself at a spiritual level. Take the Wheel is about the hassle of the hustle. It's about the idea that we think we're in control of this one big, extraordinary life and to an extent we are, or are we? It’s a snapshot of themes that have been affecting us all in the past year; the war in Ukraine, climate change, Trump, device usage, mental health, refugees, patriarchal and societal pressures. Who the hell is driving this thing?

Bitch Fizz

This is kinda the title track to the album. Moxie means force of character, determination, or nerve which is something I used to get from alcohol. But post-childbearing, it’s not something that agrees with me anymore and I’m 18 months sober. Bitch Fizz is a nod to the buzz I get from achieving things. Getting up in the morning with no hangover and getting shit done. It’s also a slang term for champagne. Which I also used to enjoy very much.

Tired

The title really says it all. This song is about taking back your power after waiting on someone to make a decision that affects your life. Either that or it’s about being a full-time mama. Make of that what you will.

Thin Black Line

This was the first song I wrote for the album. It was a part of the catalyst that sent me on this incredible 70s aural journey (Ain’t that Peculiar by Fanny is another part of the story). Thin Black Line is about the power of seeing new horizons, and the perspective and inspiration they can bring. But it’s also about escaping reality, that hamster wheel of life. That feeling like you’re watching your life from the outside, like a voyeur, going through the motions and you just want to run screaming in the opposite direction. Preferably with someone you want to hold hands with going on a new adventure when fuel was cheaper!

Mama

Written after having my first child over text message with my friend Novac Bull (Boom! Bap! Pow!) We became mama’s the same year. Becoming a mama for the first time was a shock to my system. I didn’t feel like I was a very maternal person and wasn’t sure how I’d go! I grieved the loss of my old life and there is so much they don’t tell you when you’re trying to have a baby, both good and bad. This song has all the relentless feels!

Jack’s House

I grew up on a farm near Cunderdin and there is a house there we called Jack’s House. (It was owned by Farmer Jack before my Grandad bought the property). Growing up, I vaguely recall there being some parties over there before dad and his pals would go out shooting (or maybe those memories are from photos?). I imagined what those parties were like, and what it was like to be in my 20s during the 70s. All that is also morphed with explorations into my own sexuality as a twenty something young person. Never let the truth stand in the way of a good story I always say. 

100% Woman

This is my Helen Reddy I am Woman song! I think we’re fed lies as women. “You can have your cake and eat it too. You CAN do it all!” But I don’t think much has changed since my Nanna was having kid’s except now, we’re expected to be a brilliant mother AND GO TO WORK FULL TIME!! The system does not support motherhood and we are more burnt out than ever. There continues to be a gender pay gap, not to mention issues around our reproductive rights, sexual harassment, and discrimination, especially within the music industry. Women are amazing. We can create and sustain a new human inside of us. Wow. Show some fucking respect. 

Like You Do Me

Ever been cheated on and had an internal struggle between wanting/longing/yearning for that person yet been filled with betrayal, loathing and hatred? Yep, me too. 

Comin’ Home

I wrote this song for my husband. It reminds me of when we first met each other. I felt truly seen for the first time. And it was like coming home.

MOXIE ALBUM SHOWS 

September 16 - Milk Bar, Inglewood (w/ Legs Electric & Moonlighter)

September 23 - Wave Rock Weekender

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