Jack Brown has been releasing music under the name Castleroque for the past four years and dropped his self-titled album on December 7 at midnight. The unmistakable bedroom rock sound blends alt and indie vibes, swinging between themes of heartbreak, anger, youth and change. 

Castleroque describes his music as having a “nebulous similarity to indie rock as a whole,” striving for raw honesty in his work.

The album serves as Brown’s personal diary, and he is inspired by various musical inspirations such as the Front Bottoms, The Strokes and LCD Soundstream, though more abstract inspirations are heard throughout. However, abstract elements also weave through the tracks. On songs like “Fooled” and “F*ck You, Dude!,” the nostalgic sounds of answering machines and busy tones evoke the sting of lost connections.

Connecting to people through a shared feeling of lost connection, the album’s themes can be traced back to a turbulent summer between Brown’s high school graduation and making the move to Duluth. 

“A lot changed in my life I lost a lot of my really close friends and I had a lot of like romantic issues that were going on” Brown shared. Those narratives form the backbone of his music.

Now 20 years old, Brown moved to Duluth in 2023 and credits the city’s punk scene with reshaping his creative approach. 

“[Punk] has really stripped away a lot of the barriers I had set up about what art is supposed to be,” he said, allowing his inspiration to flow more freely.

The entire album was composed, written, sung and performed by Brown himself, lending cohesiveness to its varying styles. Having full creative control meant each song followed the ebb and flow of his inspiration. For instance, “Early Summer” took two years to perfect, while “F*ck You, Dude!” was written and recorded in a single evening.

Emotions run high in “F*ck You, Dude!” The pulsing energy can quicken a listener’s heartbeat, rekindling drama long thought resolved. Although Brown has made peace with the situations that inspired the album, the raw vulnerability remains. 

“You can hear how clearly angry I am while I’m recording it, which is kind of embarrassing,” he admitted. 

The album cover features a snow-blanketed driveway and Brown’s Nissan Jetta, a nod to winter’s arrival after the transformative summer that inspired most of the songs. Reflecting on the passage of time Brown mused, “Getting older—it’s weird. It’s not worse; it’s just different.”

Listen to Castleroque by Castleroque wherever you stream music and find him on Instagram @castleroque