Caroline Says - The Lucky One
Caroline Says' haunting new album, The Lucky One, is a poignant exploration of
how the ghosts of past relationships linger, sometimes holding more sway over our hearts and minds than our current connections. We
revisit these ghosts through evocative landscapes of our memories – hometown bars, road trips, and late-night swims. Through a
series of fractured and persistent memories these songs capture the bittersweet realization that the past, though imperfect, can
sometimes be a more comforting and meaningful companion than the present. Opening track, "The Lucky One," confronts death's role
in shaping our memories head-on, as it ponders the way death freezes a person in time, forcing us to confront the complexities of grief
and its lasting impact on our relationship with the one we lost. Other tracks delve into the complexities of relationships that naturally
grow apart as life takes us in different directions. For example, "Faded and Golden" reflects on the bittersweet nature of reunions with
old friends, where the idealized memories of youth can clash with the realities of the present. Then, "Actors" takes this a step further,
acknowledging the influence of perception and desire in friendships, and the idea that in many ways “all friendships are imaginary
friendships," as it confronts the disappointment of inauthentic connections, and the facades we sometimes put on in relationships.
"Roses" began when Caroline was looking through her grandma's collection of commemorative Kentucky Derby glasses, each one
etched with the name of a winner. The song delves into the story of "Sunday Silence," the horse that won the year Caroline was born.
Researching the horse's journey from near-Triple Crown glory to retirement in Japan sparked a metaphor – a pressured being (the
horse) desperately trying to please but ultimately disappointing. The owners eventually selling the horse becomes a relatable symbol of
unmet expectations, and the sting of falling short despite our best efforts. Album closer, "Something Good," revisits Caroline's Alabama
childhood. Lost on a recent trip to Birmingham, unable to find the familiar path to a riverside hangout, the experience becomes a
powerful metaphor; we can't always retrace the paths in our memories, but those memories, however unreliable, continue to shape us.
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In the end, The Lucky One celebrates this enduring power, acknowledging how past relationships and experiences, even those lost to
the haze of time, continue to inform the stories we tell ourselves, and the way we navigate the present. “She makes music not unlike
Jessica Pratt or Tiny Vipers, atmospheric folk that envelops you.” PITCHFORK // “…Caroline Sallee dives into lovelorn wistfulness like
an Olympian…” ROLLING STONE