ROLE MODEL - RX
After deep speculation from fans about his not-so-secret relationship with influencer Emma Chamberlain, ROLE MODEL’s first full-length album Rx has been greatly anticipated for quite some time.
With initial singles such as ‘forever&more’ and ‘neverletyougo,’ it became increasingly clear to fans that Rx was going to be a love album about this new relationship, but it wasn’t until the album was released that we were able to see how truly intimate it is.
With lead singles ‘neverletyougo’ and ‘if jesus saves, she’s my type’ displaying a change in sound for ROLE MODEL, expectations were fairly low going into the album, but ultimately, we’re walking away pretty impressed with the instrumentation.
For the most part, this album isn’t as different melodically as first thought. For the first 4 tracks, each song is incredibly reminiscent of his original sound as a basic indie-pop artist, but references specific details about his relationship, allowing a lot of room for speculation among Emma Chamberlain fans.
About halfway through the album, ‘if jesus saves, she’s my type’ introduces new musical characteristics that offer a much more mellow and repetitive melody than the first four tracks. From this point on, religious themes are referenced throughout the album’s lyrics. Although the lyrics to this song seem a little odd at first listen, upon further inspection, they reveal the true story of this album; the love that he feels in his relationship fills a religious void in his life. Throughout this song, ROLE MODEL explains that he doesn’t feel saved by Jesus like he is supposed to, he feels saved by his relationship.
One song that stuck out to many fans in a particularly bad way is ‘masturbation song.’ As the title of this song implies, the lyrics are incredibly graphic. Blatantly sexual songs are not always inherently bad just because of their subject matter, but the way that this subject is approached in this song is just uncomfortable. The melody is slow and twinkly and could work very well as a love song if paired with the right lyrics, but it was instead paired with lyrics that are insanely graphic and sexual. Although the instrumentation in this song is extremely well done, it’s hard to listen to simply because of the lyrics.
One song that completely strays away from Rx’s overall theme as a love album is ‘stripclub music.’ This song tells a presumably fictional story about a stripper and is the only track on this album that doesn’t seem to relate to ROLE MODEL’s personal life whatsoever. Although it tells a fictional story that is unrelated to his new relationship, he still manages to reference religion through these lyrics as he sings “And old folks from home say she’s a sinner / But, if God saw her dance then He’d forgive her.” With a title instantly giving low expectations, we are surprised once again, as the song grows on you and is now a personal favorite. The instrumentation matches the lyrics very well, and the story itself is really intriguing. The only flaw with this song is that the title seems to be too out in the open, and does not allow for any personal interpretation, causing listeners to go into this song already knowing exactly what it will be about.
The album closes with the title track ‘Rx,’ serving as the perfect closing song to wrap up all general themes within this album. ‘Rx’ is a slow, acoustic love song that is very instrumentally reminiscent of his older work, with lyrics that are much sweeter and simpler than many of the album’s earlier tracks. The lyrics imply that all difficult moments in his life have been leading up to being with this person. In the chorus, he sings “And I don’t need Jesus Christ / Just someone who treats me right / ‘Cause that’s all that really matters anymore,” which brings the audience back to the religious-centered concept, where this new relationship is filling the religious void in his life, so he does not need religion when he has this person.
ROLE MODEL’s Rx is an interesting debut album for an artist who has recently emerged into the public eye due to his romantic relationship with influencer Emma Chamberlain. Most of this album seems to be about this highly adored relationship, with specific lyrics allowing for fans of both creators to speculate about the details. While some songs stray away from his original sound as an indie-pop artist, most of the album has great instrumentation but is often paired with questionable lyrics. Rx does a beautiful job of telling the story of someone in love who has accepted their partner as their new form of religion.
Emily Gottlieb
★★★☆☆