In recent years the North Carolina singer songwriter Rosali Middleman has quietly been earning a place of reverence in certain corners of the underground. That rise has now led her to the venerable Merge Records, who’ll release her latest album as Rosali next year. But first, she’s beginning her relationship with Merge by covering “Stuck Inside A Cloud” from George Harrison’s posthumous album Brainwashed.

Rosali’s statement on the signing and the cover:

I’m so honored and excited to join the Merge family and to share our cover of George Harrison’s “Stuck Inside a Cloud.” Written as he was dying from cancer, the song appeared on his posthumous album, Brainwashed. It’s a questioning, honest song that’s full of grace, seemingly about living the strange awareness of his deteriorating health and the meaning of our existence. Produced by my longtime collaborator and bandmate James Schroeder, we gave the cover a dreamy synth-pop treatment reminiscent of Julee Cruise and Broadcast. Recorded in the early months of the pandemic, the song feels all the more relevant as we continue to confront the death and confusion of that time. I hope you enjoy it, and I can’t wait to share my new songs.

Rosali’s got the range. Earlier this month, she released Variable Happiness, an album of experimental guitar music under her Edsel Axle guise, through the Worried Songs label. You can hear that below along with “Stuck Inside A Cloud.”

TOUR DATES:
09/04 Asheville, NC @ Burial Beer
09/06 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
09/07 – Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern
09/08 – Raleigh, NC @ The Pour House (Hopscotch Music Festival)
09/09 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl