All Ages
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For Trousdale—the trio of Quinn D’Andrea, Georgia Greene, and Lauren Jones—the ache of growing through change, of facing down existential anxiety, and matters of the heart are all intimately familiar. “We can acknowledge the strides we’ve made and be grateful, but we’ve talked a lot about how tired we are,” Jones says with a laugh. “We’ve been thinking a lot about the tension that comes with change, wanting it, fighting it, embracing it, but learning to thrive in that moment.” On Trousdale’s upcoming LP, Growing Pains (due April 11th), the band works through those struggles to find strength, courage, and growth in each other. “From what was, something new can always grow,” D’Andrea says.
Opening on a ripping electric guitar and bolstered by their trademark harmonies, the title track and lead single perfectly encapsulates those feelings in the life of Trousdale. “I’m making it through the tough times when it feels like I’ve been burning out/ Trying to build up the muscle so the hustle doesn’t pull me down,” they sing, a limber bass line drawing each new syllable forward. The album was recorded largely live in the room and co-produced by the band and John Mark Nelson, a songwriter who has also co-written and produced songs for Suki Waterhouse and Shaboozey, as well as engineered tracks for the likes of Taylor Swift and Mitski. “This song was about what we feel every day in this band,” Greene says. “Being exhausted but finding beauty together.”
Trousdale’s debut album, 2023’s Out of My Mind, earned raves from the likes of the Boston Globe, Consequence, and Atwood Magazine for its powerful songwriting, immaculate harmonies, and ability to bridge gaps between country and indie pop. On Growing Pains, the three songwriters evolved their style, writing rough ideas on their own, then refining and finishing them in the room together. “We’re all adding to each other’s ideas, drawing from personal experiences and then expanding them into something more people can connect with,” D’Andrea explains. To that end, second single “Secondhand Smoke” lives deeply in the story of an abusive relationship, but elevates into something far more haunting. There’s an icy chill to the acoustic guitar, the pain ringing softly into the night as the trio take on the perspective of a woman struggling to find hope.
While working with co-writers like Mags Duval and Adam expanded the band’s purview, the trio credit John Mark Nelson as a particularly powerful guide. “He’s always thinking about the big picture and staying out of the weeds,” Jones laughs. “We used to live in the weeds. But John Mark helped us focus on the album as a whole.”
That lesson shows both in the totality of Growing Pains and in the summery charm of a track like “Over and Over”. Nelson shared a rough sketch of the track, and Trousdale eagerly carved out their own version: a tale of running into an ex and trying to decipher how you feel about everyone moving on. D’Andrea points to the way the track leaps between tight-knit harmonies and lead vocal flourishes as emblematic of the new heights Trousdale has reached. “Every time we record and we're in the vocal booth, we're all getting better and figuring out what we need,” she says.
As good as Trousdale sounds when they lean into their gold-hued pop, the group work their country flair into the material more masterfully than ever before. There are shades of Leann Rimes to the groovy, swaying “Lonely Night”, while the heartbeat-ballad “Want Me Back” took inspiration from Lady A and finds the trio hoping that an ex might be regretting the breakup.
Across 12 remarkable tracks, Growing Pains stares down all the weight of its title, a trio of strong, independent women facing the threats of loneliness, broken hearts, loss, and more, and converting it into transformative, uplifting music. And as the album closes on the dazzling “Last Bloom”, Trousdale basks in the light at the end of every tunnel. “What it was will grow into something new,” they sing, radiating at the end of the journey. “It's a reminder that even in the coldest moments, renewal is always possible,” D’Andrea explains.
