I’m not one to catch onto trends; more likely than not, I catapult myself from them. However, I have been captured by the irresistible ease and charm of Role Model and his earworming tunes from his newest album, Kansas Anymore.
Before I listened to him for him, I knew Role Model as the musician that Emma Chamberlain, social media supernova, was dating at the time. When Role Model went on the Zach Sang Show in May to discuss his sophomore album before its July release, he didn’t shy away from his breakup with Chamberlain, the album’s focal point.
In his own words, the album was a self-critique. He is aware that his avoidance and miscommunication led to the end of the relationship. It was clear that Role Model, owning up to his mistakes, had matured because of the breakup and gained an attractive amount of self-awareness.
Then, the singles rolled out.
“Oh, Gemini,” “Look at that Woman,” and “Deeply Still In Love” weren’t just head nods to his past relationship but aggressive pointing and waving.
The near name-dropping “Oh, Gemini” had Role Model grappling with the silent reality that the relationship was over before it was over. He admits Chamberlain’s mystification over him in “Look at that Woman,” which made it that much harder to let her go. The album’s most TikTokable single, “Deeply Still In Love,” contrasts its bouncing-in-your-car beat with Role Model’s aching observation that Chamberlain is better off without him.
All three singles appear at the top of the tracklist, yet the rest of the album didn’t try to hide any other details either. Listened to in chronological order, the album logs Role Model’s feelings throughout the breakup, from ignoring warnings to accepting the loss of something good to hoping that a break isn’t final.
What it takes to finally “get” it
I picked up a few songs from the album after its release in July, but it took getting my heart broken to finally understand a heartbreak album. I wasn’t in Role Model’s position, the person who sees the end before the other does, I was the other person on the receiving end. When I listened to the songs I felt like they were written to me. I got the answers I wished I could get from the person I couldn’t ask. I imagined that Role Model’s sorrowful regrets would be told to me in person. I broke his heart (instead of him breaking mine). I amazed him by how I grew (instead of him continuing to grow). I’m still on his mind (instead of him on mine).
Role Model gives the girls who’s ex left without much explanation what they want: answers.
The deluxe verison of Kansas Anymore is out now with four additional songs that complete the heartbreak journey. A new love is always on the horizon. You just have to get through 13 tracks to get there.