By: Caitlin Sweeney
On July 19th, 2024, Role Model (stage name for artist Tucker Pillsbury) released his second studio album, “Kansas Anymore.” The name alludes to The Wizard of Oz, referencing the iconic line “We’re not in Kansas anymore.” This name perfectly encapsulates themes throughout the album, which marries feelings of homesickness, heartbreak, and imposter syndrome within the music industry. Cleverly, the artist himself is not from Kansas, but instead from Maine, but uses the name to signify the feeling of wanting to go home. Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz frantically spends the movie searching for a way out of Oz, and Role Model seems to be referencing escape himself. Whether that is to escape physically from the binds of the Los Angeles social scene to escape from the intense feelings of heartbreak, or both, it is up to the listener to decipher.
Famously, Role Model had a long-term relationship with social media influencer turned fashion icon Emma Chamberlain. The album is a gut-wrenching tell-all of what seems to be a man yearning for a relationship with someone who has moved on before he could. In songs like “Frances” (which is Emma Chamberlain’s middle name) and “Something, Somehow Someday,” you can feel him trying to grapple with the idea of the relationship being over. Through the music, you can sense his anger for his responsibility for the relationship’s demise and his longing for a sense of hope that it may not be forever. The album also includes songs such as “Superglue” and “Oh, Gemini,” which describe the end of the relationship, using language such as “we are hanging on by threads.” Still, in these songs, a sense of hope is maintained that the relationship might continue to work out somehow. However, he also includes songs like “Compromise” and “Deeply Still in Love,” emphasizing his acceptance and acknowledgment of the end of their relationship.
It is made clear in the song “The Dinner” that he is seriously discontent with the environment of Los Angeles. He also consistently references his constant need to return home throughout many of the other songs. Additionally, it is clear that this mental battle to feel at home within his surroundings drove a wedge in his former relationship. Acknowledging all of this, Kansas Anymore perfectly describes the complex feelings Role Model was going through at the time of this album’s creation.
This work was very different from the previous work by Role Model, and I believe he allowed his emotions to guide his art. This album is incredibly well done, and I hope he continues to create music with this level of vulnerability.
4.5/5
