There’s no better way to embrace New England’s unforgiving winter than with new music from House of Harm. The Boston trio, known for intimate flirtations with darker aural persuasions while embracing a warm core at the heart of their sound’s cold exterior, released a fluttering new synth-pop single this past Friday (October 6) called “Roseglass.” The celestial track is the entry point to sophomore album Playground, set for a December 1 awakening, and arrives with an accompanying music video filmed and directed by Caroline Bailey.
“’Roseglass’ is about the human cycle of putting yourself into situations where you feel like you’re an intruder for the sake of a better outcome later,” says vocalist Michael Rocheford.
And that ideology extends to the video for “Roseglass,” which was shot at a public marketplace in southeastern Massachusetts. Disinterested and slightly agitated passerby filled the old dusty halls and stalls around the band as an intended exhibitionism comes into view in the unlikeliest of places.
“We wanted to show the audience what it would feel like for us to jump out of our usual skin and try to unsettle ourselves publicly to lay the groundwork for what lies ahead on this album,” adds Rocheford.
Playground should only serve to elevate House of Harm’s ascent out from the shadows. So as the autumn season begins to unravel and the cold months gradually make their presence felt, House of Harm — Rocheford alongside Cooper Leardi and Tyler Kershaw — are fit to angle its soundtrack inward. “Roseglass” continues the band’s progression of sound, leaning into more dark-pop and nu-goth territories without losing the jangle-pop or post-punk qualities that first shined their magnetism outward.
It feels like an exciting new chapter as they enter the Playground era.
“We started writing songs for the album in 2021, and actually had about 75 to choose from by 2022,” says Rocheford. “This group of songs just feels like a Playground to us. We really tried to expand our sound, but a lot of the new ground we broke ended up being unintentional somehow… This vulnerability added a new dynamic that we fully embraced.”
Let it burn inside as New England’s moonlight months rolls in.
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