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Mar 10, 2022 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Matt Hass

Tomorrow, French alt pop artist L.A. Rochelle is set to release his debut EP, Chapter 1: Denial / Anger. Following the loss of his two best friends, L.A. Rochelle, real name Pierre-Andréas Berndt, retreated deeper into his music, processing the grief and trauma with his new moniker and an upcoming series of EPs. The full EP also comes following a pair of singles last year and this year, culminating with one final single, “Take Me Home,” premiering today with Under the Radar.

On its surface, “Take Me Home” sports L.A. Rochelle’s smooth alt pop sheen, but beneath the track’s slick style lies a wounded, heartbreaking confessional. Soft finger-picked guitar intertwines with a plaintive vocal performance and chilly electro-pop production, all while the lyrics paint a portrait of L.A. Rochelle’s grief. The track chronicles his search for belonging, wherever he can find it一“Whatever your name / Do you feel the same / Like you’re fucking insane / Can love without pain / Yeah we’re one in the same.”

L.A. Rochelle explains of the track, “I wrote this song when I was in complete denial of what had happened in my life, and I remember feeling so detached from my own body and disconnected from the people around me. I was angry at everything and everyone, while blaming myself for all the emotions I was feeling: broken and unable to understand why no one could do anything to fix this. I think I was hoping that somebody would come take me away, and that they’d somehow make me feel something. I didn’t care who or what that was - I kept finding myself in desperate need of human connection, searching for someone to save me from myself, someone who could make me feel like I was ‘Home’ again.”

Check out the song below, out everywhere March 11th along with L.A. Rochelle’s debut EP, Chapter 1: Denial / Anger.