Romanie shares dazzling “It's Not That Funny” along with stellar music video for “Falling”
Romanie - Falling (Official Music Video)
Romanie reveals her impressive second album ‘It’s Not That Funny’ along with an exceptional music video for focus single ‘Falling’
Arriving as a bold new chapter, ‘It’s Not That Funny’ takes shape as a deeply personal project. Through pure-vocals, tender lyricism and Romanie’s infectious charm, the album transforms powerful reflections into relatable and profound morsels of endlessly playable indie-pop.
The duality of playful charm and hard-hitting vulnerability is immediate from the album’s title alone: “‘It’s Not That Funny’, which relates to trying to convince your therapist you’re funny and that anything that’s ever happened to you ‘wasn’t all that bad’,”. Romanie explained further; “I think that growing up in Belgium, we’re always told to keep a brave face and to keep going no matter what – which is great for endurance and resilience; but sometimes as humans, we just want to be soft. As women in society I feel like we always have to strive for perfection; but I think that with this album I wanted to seek out the imperfections; uncover what’s behind the jokes.”
See below for the tracklisting;
It’s Not That Funny
Anything or Anyone
I Tried to Erase You
Falling
My Eyes Don’t Light Up When I Look At You
I Won’t Yell
When Will We Lose Hope
Only Darkness Grows
Thrift Shop
I Can’t Think About A Future
Uh Oh
Power At Play
Over the eleven track body of work, Romanie displays her dedication to artistic honesty and social justice, never shying away from the complex and difficult topics.
The album's focus single ‘Falling’ is a stand out moment that erupts into catharsis. Sharing more, she shared: “Initially, Falling was written about falling for the wrong people; but after recording it I felt like it was more of an omen of my own breaking down. Falling is the most fun to play live and the music video was shot at my 30th birthday party -I had to pay for a venue hire and was super broke at the time so Young Ha Kim [director] and I joked that we should shoot a music video to be able to claim it on tax. I had convinced all my friends to dress up in a wedding dress, kind of as a joke but everyone pulled up looking absolutely stunning. It’s really a representation of what the album means to me: no matter how rough life gets, my friends are there to hear me sob and pull me through hard moments as much as I want to be there for them.”
Ahead of today’s album release, Romanie treated listeners to four singles. Most recently came ‘Anything or Anyone’ which served as a gorgeous homage to community after a bout of loneliness. A common theme that runs through Romanie’s music is hope, however small. ‘When Will We Lose Hope?’ was originally born out of despair and anger at the world’s devastating events, but it bears a gentle and comforting perspective.
‘I Won’t Yell’ arrived at the end of last year, taking shape as a defiant anthem co-produced with Adam Hyde (Peking Duk, Keli Holiday) and Tom Stell (Golden Features). tmrw Magazine coined it ‘Punchy and Defiant’. Uh Oh was the first single to be revealed from this new chapter, setting the tone as Romanie emerged from personal turbulence with perfectly poised humor. Each single has teased another layer to Romanie’s bold new chapter and along the way she scooped support from the likes of triple j Unearthed, Ones To Watch and more.
The record's closing track ‘Power At Play’is a particularly poignant moment. Written in response to the 95th woman being killed at the hands of a man in Australia last year, it’s a raw and haunting track to sit with.
‘It’s Not That Funny’ is the follow up to Romanie’s 2023 debut record ‘Are We There Yet?'. The album was nominated for the Australian Music Prize, winner of the triple j Unearthed x NIDA music video competition and saw her win the 2023 Upstart Award, become a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition, and finalist in St Kilda Festival’s New Music Competition. In the years since its release Romanie has evolved and progressed, finessing her sound that toes a line between alt, pop and indie with a gritty undertone that fuses flawlessly with her effortless vocals.
For Belgian-born, Australian-based singer songwriter Romanie Assez, her drive to make music has always stemmed from an innate desire to express creativity through personal and engaging storytelling. Pulling inspiration from the likes of Big Thief, Wet Leg, Mitski, The Cranberries and more, she has nurtured her craft to reflect her deepest reflections in a way that speaks straight to the soul. Since launching in 2021, the sound you hear today is darker and more textured than her earlier releases. Rich in nuance and strength, it's here to channel that little voice in your head, one that might not always be the most chipper, but can still make you laugh and teach you something about yourself.
Ever since Romanie moved to Australia in 2019 she’s been establishing herself as a powerhouse in the live music industry, touring both solo as well as with her band, supporting artists including Trixie Whitley, Telenova, Blanco White, 10cc, Yoke Lore, playing alongside Katy J Pearson and opening for Australian favourites such as Keli Holiday, The Moving Stills, Mia Wray and many more.
A force to be reckoned with, Romanie is definitely an artist to keep all eyes on.
Follow Romanie:
Instagram / Youtube / Spotify / Apple Music
