Kevin Bronson on April 25th, 2022

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If you followed the constellation of talent orbiting  the L.A. indie scene a decade ago, you know Chelsea Brown from Summer Twins, the indie-pop band she fronted with her sister, Justine. They released two albums and two EPs of sunny retro-pop before deciding, in mid-2018, to “retire” the group. Fate reinforced that decision in September of that year, when on the eve of their final show, a flood trashed all their gear.

By then, the singer-songwriter had already decided to launch her solo project, Chelsea Rose. The music she had been working on didn’t quite fit Summer Twins, anyway. “I feel like Summer Twins was a younger version of me,” said Rose, who, after biding her time during the pandemic, announced in March that her solo debut, “Truth or Consequences,” would be out June 3.

“This record is like an older version that has been through a little more, been through a lot of heartbreak and facing the reality of growing up, and living in L.A. and struggling with making a living being an artist, and keeping that dream alive.”

If not the dream itself, the good times are certainly alive in the new single, “Down the Street” (out this week), a crisply strummed, ’70s-styled pop song that Rose describes as a pep talk to herself. After all, who’s gonna believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself? “It’s so easy / to feel defeated / I’ve been searching / for what I thought I needed / All of that nonsense / kept me distracted / I have all the pieces / to make it happen,” she sings buoyantly.

Rose’s self-directed video matches the single’s musical moxie, as she and her band — Andy Moran, Alec Kwo, Charlie Weinmann, Seamus Blackwell and sister Justine — move from bedroom contemplation to middle-of-the-street vamping to frolicking in nature. Her point? Put yourself out there.

“Down the Street” was preceded by the single “Let Go,” which with its layered guitar and synth is more of a dream-pop tune. It’s no less empowering, centered around “the moment of bliss and fear when you take a big leap of faith,” Rose says.

“Truth or Consequences” is coming out via Paulisdead Records, with the album on white vinyl also available.

||| Watch: The video for “Down the Street”

||| Also: Watch the video for “Let Go”