Caitlin Rose - Own Side Now (LP + 7") - 45RPM Clear Vinyl

Caitlin Rose’s debut album, Own Side Now, is one of those records that sneaks up on you and then hangs around like an old friend. A Nashville singer and songwriter with a classic lilt and a razor for detail, she steps into country tradition with a cool head and a heart wide open. The album first landed in the UK in 2010, then reached the US the following year, which makes sense if you remember how quickly British listeners took to her wry, clear-eyed songs. It’s the kind of debut that already knows what it’s about, and it still feels sturdy more than a decade on.

Rose writes with a feel for everyday drama. The title track, Own Side, takes that pull between staying and running and shows how a good chorus can unfold the whole mess. Shanghai Cigarettes is the one that often hooks people first. It’s quick on its feet and carried by a melody that sticks without ever turning cloying. For the Rabbits moves with a softer gait, shadows at the edge of the frame, while Sinful Wishing Well shows her knack for folding a sharp line into a warm arrangement. None of these songs feel like exercises in style. They sound lived in, like she wrote them on a back step with the evening coming in, then took them to a small band who knew when to leave space.

You can hear Nashville all through it, not as a brand but as a room. Pedal steel curls around the vocals, the rhythm section keeps time without fuss, and the guitars ring clean. Rose doesn’t hide behind production tricks. She stands right in the centre, her voice steady and conversational, able to turn tender or biting in a blink. There’s a little Patsy in the phrasing and a bit of Lucinda in the grit, though she never leans too hard on any one influence. It feels like someone raised on old records who also caught the afterglow of indie country in the late 2000s, then decided to trust her own instincts.

Part of the charm is the way she writes about love and regret without turning them into big gestures. She threads humour through the ache, and it clears the air. That tone isn’t an accident. Rose grew up around songs, and she’s the daughter of Nashville songwriter Liz Rose, who has penned hits with Taylor Swift among others. You can hear the craft, but you also hear the refusal to let craft smooth away the rough edges. The verses read like good short stories. The choruses land like a familiar saying you haven’t heard in years.

Own Side Now also set up the long game. She followed it with The Stand-In in 2013, then took time away before returning with Cazimi in 2022, each step widening the frame. Going back to the debut now, the through-line is obvious. She’s always been about feel first, lyric second, everything else in service to those two. If you came to her later, this record answers the “where did she start” question in about 30 seconds.

If you’re the sort who flips through new arrivals in a Melbourne record store on a Saturday, Own Side Now vinyl is a lovely pick. The warmth suits the format, and the arrangements breathe. For collectors who track down Caitlin Rose albums on vinyl, the pressing sits nicely alongside The Stand-In and Cazimi, a tidy arc from promising to proven. If you’re hunting from home, you can buy Caitlin Rose records online without much trouble, and shops that cater to vinyl records Australia often keep her titles in stock or can order them in. Search terms like Caitlin Rose vinyl tend to lead you to the right place.

What keeps me coming back is the balance. She writes with bite but sings with grace. The band moves with a veteran’s ease but never feels slick. The songs have a soft glow that rewards late-night spins and early morning coffee alike. There’s no need to oversell it. Own Side Now is simply a debut that got it right. It lets the songs do the work, and the songs stand tall. If you stumble on Caitlin Rose vinyl in the wild, don’t overthink it. Take it home, drop the needle, and let the room change colour.