Rose Carleo has returned with ‘42 Days’, an album that combines personal grief with classic Australian rock influences, while drawing inspiration from figures including AC/DC’s Malcolm Young family and Elvis Presley.
by Paul Cashmere
Rose Carleo’s new album 42 Days arrives carrying a personal story at its centre. The record emerged following the death of her sister in 2024 and developed into a project that also reaches into Australian pub rock traditions, stories of friendship and musical heroes, and broader reflections on memory and identity. As Carleo and the Rose Carleo Band prepare for a new run of Australian shows, the album places deeply personal material alongside references that connect directly to rock history.
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The significance of 42 Days extends beyond a new studio release. Contemporary rock records increasingly rely on autobiographical writing, but Carleo’s approach places individual experiences inside a broader musical framework. Throughout the record there are nods to the sounds and traditions that shaped Australian rock music over several decades.
Speaking with Noise11, Carleo described the album as intentionally wide-ranging.
The album sounds like Rose has gone to the great Aussie rock and roll spice cupboard and taken one of everything. “That’s a great analogy,” Rose Carleo replied. “I love that. Pretty much. It’s quite eclectic for sure.”
The title track emerged during a difficult period after the unexpected death of Carleo’s sister in Perth in July 2024. During that time she found herself marking time through days and weeks following the loss.
Six weeks later, while staying with family in Tasmania, the title arrived.
“I would count down the days,” Carleo said. “I can’t believe it’s been seven days, I can’t believe it’s been fourteen days. Six weeks later it happened to be 42 days and the lyrics kind of popped into my head.”
Rose Carleo said the song ultimately became a turning point in the writing process.
“I don’t look at it as necessarily a bad or sad song. It’s a song that got me out of my funk.”
The collaborative process behind the album remains shared between Rose Carleo and husband, producer and co-writer Mick Atkins. Carleo describes herself as “the melody girl”, while Atkins frequently brings guitar riffs and early song structures into sessions.
That partnership also appears to have generated more material than the current album could accommodate. Carleo revealed that enough songs already exist to begin shaping another project.
There are also direct references to some of rock music’s most recognisable names.
One of the album’s songs, Son Of God, has prompted assumptions from listeners that its title carried religious meaning. Instead, Carleo explained that the song references Ross Young, son of late AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young and a longtime supporter of the band.
“We wanted to do a nice thing for a great friend of ours,” Carleo said.
Young’s connection inevitably invites AC/DC comparisons. While Rose Carleo stops short of directly modelling the band’s sound, echoes of Australian hard rock traditions run through 42 Days, particularly in its direct guitar approach and live performance energy.
Another song, Eulogy For The Devil, takes its inspiration from Elvis Presley.
Rose Carleo explained that the title reflects perceptions surrounding Presley during his early years.
“They used to say he’s the devil, swinging those hips and whatever else,” she said. “He was just a boy from Mississippi playing his rockabilly.”
Elsewhere, Remember Me grew out of a real-life story linked to World War II history, another longstanding interest shared by Carleo and Atkins. The song reportedly began after Atkins came across an account of two people reconnecting decades later and wondering whether they would recognise each other.
The album also arrives following Rose Carleo’s appearance on The Voice, an experience she says changed her perspective more than her songwriting.
“Before I was probably a bit worried about things and what if they don’t like it,” she said. “Now I’m just like, I am who I am.”
That shift may prove important as the Rose Carleo Band heads back on the road. The group recently launched 42 Days live and Carleo said every song on the record has already been tested on stage.
The next months will see the band move through New South Wales dates and festival appearances, with discussions continuing around further interstate touring.
Upcoming Rose Carleo Band Dates
30 May, Enmore, The Duke
8 June, Wollongong, Dicey Riley’s
27 June, Sawtell, Chasing Winter Sun Music Festival
21 August, Lambton, Flamingo’s (Lizotte’s Newcastle)
22 August, Sydney, Dead Set
Ticketing details available through Rose Carleo Band and venue outlets.
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