Lian Ray

Rose Lian Ray

This album was made in hell.

'Rose' was meant to be an album for everyone to hear. Frenchman Aurélien Marie was known in the late ninetees as frontman of the alternative rock band Rhesus. After Rhesus quit, Aurelien made a solo album in which he put everything he had, literally. The tens of thousands of euros that earlier succes brought, were all spent on creating his pop noir masterpiece. The album captures a nightly romantic spirit reminiscent of dEUS or Serge Gainsbourg. However, when it was finished, Aurélien found himself in a very bad place and 'Rose' wasn't released. Until now.

'Rose' was recorded in 2012-2013, a time when Aurélien was drenched in a toxicating pool of lies, cheating, drugs, shame and depression. The songs, following his pursuit for a girl named Rose, are honest and bare but also painful in all its open-heartedness. At the end of 2013, after the final mastering (by renowned mastering engineer Bob Ludwig) took place, things spiraled even further out of control. Drug abuse, fights and self-destruction were all that remained for the struggling couple. Aurelien and his girlfriend hit rock bottom, and some very dark years followed. They lost their house, their money, and eventually each other. During these years, his Dutch friends at Snowstar Records were not able to get in contact with him. They were listening to the beautiful, lost record and fearing for Aurélien's life at the same time.

In 2016, things cleared up. Aurélien went to rehab, used sports, meditation and medication to get in touch with reality again. He got involved in a new relationship, with an angel who took him under her wings. He found a job, a house, and professional help.

Meanwhile, the album 'Rose' was still on a shelf somewhere. A great album (for the listeners), a painful album (for him). Still, the only way to get real closure and really move forward, is to put it out, which we're doing right now. 'Rose' is a time capsule of a dark period in Aurélien's life. In the year 2019, we find ourselves in a different era, with a different person. The album has not lost a bit of its beauty, but only ripened like a good, red wine.

Let the closure of one era ignite a new one.