Caroline Romano doesn’t know how to stop evolving. With the release of her latest single “Doesn’t Matter”, she’s proving that she is a versatile, innovative, powerhouse. Romano combines an indie-inspired, subtle synth backing, with a casual percussion, and dreamy vocals to master an alt-indie-pop sound, feeling new and exciting.
Hailing from Nashville, Romano isn’t new to music by any means. She released her first single at 15 years old, titled “Masterpiece”. At around 18 years old, she found her moment to make her mark on the music scene with her single “I Still Remember (ft. R3HAB)”. From then on, Romano has proven herself in the industry, constantly evolving her sound and finding new ways to make unique music.
Her latest single is no different. “Doesn’t Matter” tells a story of falling carelessly, unapologetically, despite the risk and in vain of the reward. “It’s a song about falling, all too carelessly, for someone on a rainy evening with the car radio playing,” Romano said in a press release. “It’s simple and convoluted and all too accurate, at least from my personal experience.” It’s an experience many can relate to. Romano takes this classic story, turning it into a piece that feels like reading out of her diary. Her thoughts fill the lyrics, almost like she is singing what’s going on in her head.
The song starts with a synth progression, that builds into a hard hitting percussion beat, that builds into a vocal overlap. This building falls into itself and over, into a similar sounding melody that feels lighter and smoother. Combined with Romanos’s soft vocals that practically float over the drum, it creates a listening experience that feels ethereal.
In the first verse, the line “I don’t want you to go,” stands out, feeling a bit louder than the rest of the lyrics. There’s a deep plea in the lyric, especially when followed by the line “Cause I don’t know if I have you yet.” That line is reiterated in the next bar, a bit stronger this time, causing you to remember the real story following these words. A story of not feeling sure but almost being okay with that.
When the prechorus starts, Romano’s vocals soar beautifully, remaining soft and hitting the ear like sparkly dust, in a way. After she sings “You lock the door and / I hold my breath,” there’s a pause in the music, like all the instruments are even holding their breath. Though the pause is relatively short, it’s enough to build some anticipation. When the music resumes, it hits, jumping into the chorus.
The best way to describe how the chorus feels is genuinely like riding in a car on a rainy night with a situationship; theres a freeness to it that still feels like it’s being chased by sadness. But, in a good way. In a nodding your head to the beat way. In a floating wind way. And the lyrics capture it perfectly.
Often times, I think it’s easy to forget that song lyrics are poetry at their core. Romano’s chorus is a perfect example of that. Each line stands on its own independently, but come together with each other seamlessly. “I won’t ask you if you kissed her / It doesn’t matter,” is sung on its own. However, the next line “where you go on the weekends / if I’m going with you, love me deeper than we’re sinking,” seemingly creates a new thought, but still feels like it reads from the previous line. Looking at it typed out, you see the poetic influence in the enjambment of each line.
A line in the second verse talks about being on the precipice, assumingly of falling for somebody. Being a central theme throughout the song, Romano finds ways to incorporate this idea into the music. Whether it be the beat falling off into a new twist, or her vocals building to a stop. As you listen more, you start to feel how it’s weaved in the song and it’s artistically stunning. It adds an entire new layer to the song.
The bridge is simple. It’s a request, that is bordering desperate but still reserved, trying to still seem cool. The first bar, Romano sings “So tell me where to go / Tell me what you need. / I could be your girl / I could be your scene.” However, in the next bar, her suggestion of who she could be for them turns into a plea, singing “Let me be your girl / Let me be your scene.” What gets me the most about it is how subtle the change is, and how it still changes the song completely. Romano doesn’t sing it any differently than she does the first bar, and yet it feels different.
The last chorus of the song explodes and it feels therapeutic as a listener. What started off feeling shy and pleading now feels unapologetic. Sure, it may not be the right decision to fall for this person, but it doesn’t matter!
By my 6th listen to the song, I was singing along. Romano has done an incredible job at layered and complex story-telling in a song that feels, just, right. Each choice made is intentional and it comes together in such an amazing way. I’m genuinely blown away at all the little details I started picking up the more I listened. It’s crafted with an artistic vision you don’t see often with even some of the most popular artists. There’s a simplicity to it upon first listen, but then you realize it’s deeply nuisanced.
On top of all of that, it’s an incredible song. It’s catchy in the way that isn’t annyoing, and just feels good to sing along to. Romano’s vocals are amazing and the production is flawless. The song is so different from new music we keep seeing being put out right now, and it’s refreshing. “Doesn’t Matter” has become one of my new favorite songs.
Listen to the new single HERE and be sure to follow Caroline on Instagram and Tiktok.