Los Angeles-based indie rock artist brookelen is embracing the uncomfortable side of personal growth on “shadow,” a raw, mythology-inspired single that explores ego death, balance, and the consequences of flying too close to the sun. The release offers another glimpse into her forthcoming third EP, dark side of the sun, arriving October 23 via Soliloquy Records.
Built around intimate vocals and fuzzed-out guitars, “shadow” captures the tension between vulnerability and destruction. Drawing inspiration from the Greek myth of Icarus, brookelen uses the story of a figure who flies too close to the sun as a reminder of what can happen when ambition overshadows balance. The result is a grungy, emotionally charged track that reflects the artist’s interest in mythology, astrology, and the darker corners of human experience.
“I love mythology and astrology and maybe even demonology. I wrote this song about the story of Icarus, who flies too close to the sun and his wings melt and he perishes. It’s a reminder to find the balance. Both yin and yang. I love intimate vocals paired with fuzzed out guitars.”
That balance serves as a central theme throughout dark side of the sun. While the sun represents warmth, life, and brilliance, its unseen side becomes a metaphor for the parts of ourselves that remain hidden. Ego, shame, trauma, secrecy, and heartbreak all find their place within the project’s larger narrative, giving brookelen room to examine what it means to confront uncomfortable truths rather than avoid them.
The upcoming EP also explores religious trauma, queerness, sexuality, and independence. Recurring references to angels, demons, Genesis, and mythology help shape a world where faith and freedom often collide. Instead of presenting personal growth as a straightforward journey, brookelen embraces contradiction, recognizing that healing can involve grief, uncertainty, and the willingness to question long-held beliefs.
Musically, dark side of the sun expands on the atmospheric qualities that have defined her previous releases. Indie rock, orchestral arrangements, post-rock textures, and folk-inspired intimacy come together in a sound that feels cinematic without losing its emotional immediacy. Recorded live, the performances preserve the natural breaths, dynamic shifts, and imperfections that make the music feel personal.
“’dark side of the sun’ is about looking directly at the parts of ourselves we’d rather keep hidden,” says brookelen. “It’s about discovering that healing isn’t becoming someone new—it’s finally allowing yourself to be fully seen.”
The EP follows the previously released “omen,” a witch-rock anthem inspired by the news that an ex-boyfriend had become engaged. Rather than dwelling on the past, the song transforms that experience into a statement about independence, self-acceptance, and embracing one’s identity.
“’Omen’ is my witch-rocky anthem for following warning, prophetic signs that all lead back to self-actualization, independence, queerness, and embracing myself.”
Another track, “hide,” draws inspiration from Alice In Chains and Hole. Driven by guitars and a more collaborative creative approach, the song represents a return to self while showcasing another side of brookelen’s evolving sound.
Her journey to this point has been shaped by constant change. After growing up moving between states, brookelen considers Virginia home, where she first picked up the violin. A self-taught musician, she eventually relocated to Los Angeles to find collaborators, build a creative community, and reinvent herself through music.
Her debut EP, time to go, explored the difficulty of leaving the past behind through melancholic strings and poetic songwriting. Its follow-up, going, going, gone, pushed further into themes of survival, sobriety, domestic violence, and mental health, pairing personal storytelling with sweeping orchestration and walls of guitar feedback.
With dark side of the sun, brookelen continues that evolution, moving toward a more exposed and unfiltered form of expression. The new material suggests an artist increasingly comfortable with complexity, both in her sound and in the stories she chooses to tell.
As she prepares to release the EP, brookelen will celebrate the new music with performances in Los Angeles, New York City, Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Boston. For listeners drawn to alternative rock that balances distorted instrumentation with deeply personal songwriting, “shadow” offers a compelling introduction to her next chapter.
Sometimes growth means learning to reach higher. Other times, it means recognizing when to step back from the light and confront what has been waiting in the shadows.
dark side of the sun arrives October 23 via Soliloquy Records.
ABOUT BROOKELEN
Los Angeles-based indie-rock project brookelen creates music that weaves together orchestral arrangements, alternative rock, and intimate storytelling. Influenced by artists such as Fiona Apple, Björk, PJ Harvey, and Liz Phair, her songs create space for healing, reckoning, and emotional release. Through poetic lyricism and dynamic instrumentation, brookelen’s work explores identity, recovery, faith, queerness, and the complicated beauty of becoming. dark side of the sun is her third EP and first release with Soliloquy Records.
