Rose Betts Creates Emotionally Rich Realms on Her Rich and Multi-Layered Second Album ‘There Is No Ship’ - Atwood Magazine

      On her transformative album ‘There Is No Ship,’ Rose Betts delves into themes of grief, heritage, and personal development through elaborate production and heartfelt songwriting.

      Stream: “Six” – Rose Betts

      Rose Betts crafts her music much like a skilled architect constructs a cathedral—layer by layer, forming sanctuaries that evoke wonder and a fleeting sense of the sacred.

      “When I sing, it’s like creating something in the space that alters the mood,” she explains. “People experience it, and then it’s gone. You can hear how it feels; you can visualize it. It moves through them; their body feels it.”

      Betts captures that ephemeral yet impactful essence on her sophomore album, There Is No Ship, an 11-track emotional journey through memory, loss, and legacy. From the ethereal begining of “Six” to the weight of the title track, she crafts intricate tapestries stitched together with rich storytelling.

      There Is No Ship – Rose Betts (photo © Catie Laffoon)

      Her voice transitions from fragile and airy to powerful and commanding—often within a single song. In the title track, Betts’ vocals ebb and flow, akin to a riptide drawing listeners into something that feels intensely personal yet timeless.

      With respect to her Irish heritage through her mother’s lineage, Betts imbues the album with modal harmonies, fiddle melodies, and a storytelling tradition that lends even its lighter moments profound depth.

      The seemingly light-hearted tracks “You Never Looked Back” and “Doodles” deliver poignant stabs of sorrow and reflection. In “Doodles,” she sings with a toast and a subtle ache: “And it’s one for the times when I let them win / One for the light that I let him dim.”

      Rose Betts © Catie Laffoon

      Betts notes that loss has significantly influenced this album: “Last year brought a lot of death— a family friend, our dog, and even just… the atmosphere. Something shifted.”

      That awareness of transience and vulnerability permeates the record.

      “Take This Body Home,” written for her estranged grandfather, presents a nuanced and empathetic farewell. Framed by a traditional Irish blessing, it serves as a moment of poetic closure: “May your hardened heart be woken / by the soft and distant song / Of all you left here unspoken / all the shards we keep stepping on.”

      Her grandfather was emotionally distant from her mother, and his death elicited conflicted feelings of grief alongside a peculiar kind of peace. This theme continues in “My Funeral Song” and “Save Me a Seat,” the latter featuring light-hearted reflections on mortality, like the surreal discovery of her first grey hair at 22.

      Rose Betts © Catie Laffoon

      Throughout the album, Betts, who served as co-producer, constructs lush, layered compositions that reveal new nuances with each listen.

      The result is an album that feels rich and emotionally resonant. Each track is a carefully built world that is ultimately released—much like the transient “structures” Betts creates with her singing.

      “I experienced a high when I first began writing songs,” she shares. “I’ve been reflecting on that little girl a lot; I’m trying to reconnect with the girl who wrote for herself. There’s something untouched and perfect about that world.”

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      © Catie Laffoon

      an album by Rose Betts