Sydney Rose and the Sound of Growing Out of Home

Sydney Rose is an American indie-pop singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist known for her delicate sound and emotionally resonant lyrics. She first gained recognition by posting songs on YouTube and TikTok, with her breakout moment arriving after the viral success of We Hug Now, released earlier this year. Sydney’s debut EP, You Never Met Me, and her subsequent releases explore themes of loneliness, self-acceptance, and the vulnerability of adolescence. In April 2025, she returned with a more mature and confident voice on her new EP, I Know What I Want.

The EP consists of six tracks: 31, Dogs I Pass On The Street, Thank You For Trying, 5 More Minutes, Listen To The Birds, and We Hug Now. Throughout, a romantically nostalgic sound is paired with deeply emotional lyrics that explore themes of growing up, leaving your hometown, and moving on from old relationships.

The opening track, 31, acts almost like a prologue, setting the tone for the rest of the project. In each verse, the narrator recalls a different element of childhood that can’t be reclaimed. It begins with the lines: “I used to wrap my arms around her legs // It used to be so easy to go to bed,” — referring to the comfort and security of sleeping next to the mother. Later verses shift into memories of a lost dog and childhood friends the lyrical heroine no longer speaks to.

The theme of homesickness runs like a thread through the entire record. In Listen To The Birds, Rose sings:
“And listen to the birds, singing still the same // In the video tapes, they come back home when it's warmer.”

Another highlight of the album is how it underscores the complex nature of growing up, as in the lyric:
“It's all I wanted // But not what I thought.”

This EP, with its nostalgic soundscape, is especially likely to resonate with students who have just left home for the first time. At the same time, it will speak to anyone who has ever known homesickness and finds comfort in the soft ache of tender nostalgia.