A Quick Chat with Rosscoe Frantz
Rosscoe Frantz leans into the discomfort of love and letting go with Raw and Bitter, a brooding indie folk rock release out now. Building on the momentum of his debut EP Share House, the WA artist continues to carve out a space defined by raw storytelling and emotional weight. Driven by reverb-soaked guitar, slow-burning dynamics, and Frantzβs cutting vocal delivery, the track captures the tension of holding onto something meaningful while questioning its future. It is intimate, conflicted, and crushing. We caught up with Rosscoe to talk about the single, its meaning, and whatβs next.
Can you tell us what this track means to you and what you want people to take away from it?
I wrote 'Raw and Bitter' in the middle of both what felt like the longest and wettest winter in years, and the most challenging period of the relationship with my current partner up to that point. I woke up at 3am with this melody and a few words buzzing around my head and started writing. Getting it all out and into words was my way of digesting all the feelings I was having at the time; knowing how much I love this person and how good the relationship is, but also grappling with this old part of myself that was struggling with the finality of it and the certainty of our future. The beauty is that we both came out of the other end of that time more in love and certain about our choices than before. Now when I hear the song or perform it, it acts as a reminder that the painful experiences in our lives are often the most necessary ones for growth.
Ultimately, I think i'd like listeners to take away the idea that the uncomfortable parts of love are just as human and necessary as the beautiful ones
Who are some of your influences, and why?
As a surfer in WA, I grew up listening to Jack Johnson, Pete Murray and Angus and Julia Stone as staples. Currently, I think my influences have changed to match the kind of songs I've been drawn to writing. Adrienne Lenker and Big thief have had a massive choke hold on my songwriting in the last while, I love their musical choices and Adrienne is just an absolute poet. Blanco White and Hermanos Guiterrez for the soundscapes they create, as well as Lord Huron and Gregory Alan Isakov. The list goes on and on.
What's the creative process for you, from writing through to recording?
I've always found the words appear much faster than the music for me. I have hundreds of notes of little lines and lyrics in my phone, and about 11 notebooks jam packed with them. Typically i'll land on a line that feels right, like a an immediate punch to the chest, and try and build the song around the idea of that line and get the melody to match the emotion of it. Recording is still a journey for me, I tend to trust other musicians far more than myself when it comes to the overall production of a song, but I'm getting much more confident with that side of things. I demoed 'Raw and Bitter' in my home studio, doing all the vocals and rhythm and lead guitar lines and wrote out how I wanted the other instruments to go before going into the studio with Andy Lawson to record it.
What do you think makes a great song?
For me, a great song leaves me with something to unpack. It dances around an idea, giving the listener breadcrumbs to follow, rather than telling them exactly what they're supposed to think or feel. Songs like that stay with me - I know if I really like a song if I can't stop thinking about what it means, but also what the artist was experiencing when they wrote it.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
This is an almost impossible question to answer as there are so many! I would love to work with Gregory Alan Isakov - there isn't a single song on his last 4 albums that I have been absolutely hypnotised by. His lyrics are so vivid, and he creates these massive atmospheres with his music while keeping things so simple. The man is a magician.
When not working on music, what other creative outlet/s do you have?
I love writing in general, i'm always writing bits of poetry and verses. I still surf a bit, and randomly started wood carving/whittling as a bit of a meditative practice.
Who are some local bands we should check out?
There are so many amazing talents in Perth at the moment! Mike Day, Kate Fairlie, The Stamps, Tim Schilperoort, Ben Catley, Kiera Jas, Ghost Care, Jade Rich, I could keep going!
Winter or summer and why?
I love winter, and my songwriting is definitely more representative of Winter! But we basically get 9 months of summer in WA, so I have to say Summer (also I'm a wimp when it comes to surfing in cold water).
What else do you have planned for the year?
As much as possible! I'm recording as much as I can afford (Independent artist life), planning some headline shows, and applying for festivals etc, so watch this space!