Rowan has the spirit of one who believes she has seen more of the world than the years that should permit it. Penned at 17 but drawn from recollections of her 15-year-old self, "Getting Old" is about the teenage emotional baggage we begin to accumulate. Rowan doesn't just remember the hurt of being picked on or the bizarre hollowness that can follow therapy classes as she transforms it into art that stays with you like a late-night thought.
The song relies on stripped-back piano and tempered production, allowing her voice complete dominion to shine and it sure does. An openness in her tone immediately earns her comparisons to greats like Fleetwood Mac, but Rowan makes her own room. Her lyrics are plainspoken but cutting, never dramatic for the sake of drama. Instead, she embraces the honest, luring you into the departed confusion and discomfort before allowing them to find clarity.
What sets "Getting Old" apart is its emotional arc. Rowan begins from silence, speechless about what is happening inside. But over the song's course, so does her self-consciousness. It's not a fairy tale ending, as no false reconciliation exists. But there is peace in how she takes her voice back, now not for validation, but for herself. That kind of growth isn't flashy, but it reverberates.
If her debut single announced Rowan Murphy's arrival as a voice in indie folk to reckon with, "Getting Old" proves that she's a storyteller of uncommon depth. This is not just music for people who love acoustic ballads but music for anyone who has ever struggled to deal with their own emotions and found peace in finally naming them. With this release, Rowan provides a sanctuary. And with the promise of more where that came from, it's obvious she's not even just getting older, and she's also growing into something pretty damn special.