Rowena Wise will release her second album, Bad Things Feel Good*, on 7th August 2026 via Beloved Records / Remote Control Records. Her new single, Diamond In The Rough, is out now alongside a video directed by Didirri.
The single follows Blood Ties, which ‘confronted inherited silence and the emotional architecture of family.’ Where that song looked at the home, Diamond In The Rough turns to the cost of being seen as exceptional — the isolation of a pedestal you didn’t entirely choose, and the pressure to stay impressive. Wise traces the idea to a friend’s identity crisis: the drive to be the most captivating, accomplished and desired, and the shame that arrives when those impossible standards go unmet. Its answer is plain — step down, unravel a little, meet others on level footing.
The video, shot overnight in a semi-abandoned warehouse apartment, takes that theme into movement. Wise explains:
“Diamond in the Rough is about the pressures of being told that you’re special from a young age, creating an unattainable standard you must maintain. In this dance, I am exploring the idea of internal isolation and external performance, highlighting the dissonance caused by those standards set by the self. We shot the video in a semi-abandoned warehouse apartment late one Saturday night, improvising most of the dance and camera movements to retain a sense of character rather than a neat dance routine. The concept was inspired by a scene in The Last Showgirl (2024) where Jamie Lee Curtis’ character dances in a busy Vegas casino, ignored by passers-by, dejectedly performing slow, powerful dance movements. We aimed to create something similarly melancholic and beautiful — the song’s themes of performance of the self lean into something glamorous, yet dark and human.”
Bad Things Feel Good* was produced by Rob Muinos and recorded over three days at The Ratshack in Collingwood with a live band: Richard Bradbeer on bass, Jess Ellwood on drums and Matt Dixon on pedal steel. Written across Wise’s touring years, it follows 2024’s Senseless Acts of Beauty, shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize.
Pre-Order Bad Thins Feel Good* – https://rowenawise.lnk.to/badthingsfeelgood