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Photo by Olive Jolley

ROREY is not the pop artist to put on if you’re searching for a quick fix of dopamine that’s sugar-coated in superficiality. Instead, she’s a brutally honest and hauntingly poignant songwriter who transcends the skin deep. Her lyrics gnash teeth and cut through the fabric of our fantasies in order to grasp the truth. Her diaphanous dream-pop sonics transport you to her unfiltered realm of sheer psyche. Her imaginative aesthetics add contrast to her realist prose for a story that is multi-dimensional and compelling. 

Her new single, “Dying Fire”, is about sacrificing the old versions of ourselves so that we can evolve. ROREY confronts her desire to recreate the past, but eventually realizes that she can only let it go. Revealing more on her track, ROREY confides, "Dying Fire" sits in this space between love and impossibility. The song doesn't blame or excuse; it simply states with radical acceptance that what once was can never be again. Love can only go so far when one person is left carrying it alone.”

The music video for “Dying Fire” follows ROREY on a night spent lost in the woods. She chases after a red piece of fabric that remains just out of reach. The pursuit of it leads her through the wild and into an eerie parking lot where ROREY finally captures the object that she’s been chasing. Once she gets her hands on it, she folds it up and leaves it behind. The story at play echoes the message of the song; we can’t force our way into happiness. 

Sparkling synths, melancholy harmonies, and wistful electronics add an air of dark disenchantment to the track. It feels like foraging through a fairytale (one that kept its original ending). The abstract sonics allow ROREY’s vocals to take control of the track with haunting rhythmics and cathartic bellows. 

ROREY has been featured on an abundance of editorial playlists, including Fresh Finds, Fresh Finds Indie, and New in Pop. Her blunt songwriting and visceral vocals have undeniably struck a nerve. “Dying Fire” is the second single we’ve heard from her this year. She’s building momentum and carving out her own corner in modern pop. 

Listen to "Dying Fire":