In Creator Series #005, we connect with Dane and Michael of The Rose Hips to discuss their debut single “Spacey” and the journey behind it. The track reflects the highs and lows of pursuing music in Los Angeles, blending inspiration with uncertainty. Rooted in feeling-first songwriting and shaped by their Bay Area upbringing, the duo is building a timeless, intentional sound as they step into their next chapter.
Your first single “Spacey” just dropped a week ago—what was the moment or feeling that initially sparked this song?
DANE: In a lot of ways, this song sparked the band. It captures a feeling we both knew really well—spending years grinding away at music in a city built on dreams. There’s excitement in that, but also frustration, doubt, and moments where you wonder if you’re crazy for continuing. “Spacey” was our way of being honest about that experience, and it ended up becoming a pretty accurate introduction to who we are as a band.
MICHAEL: “Spacey” was actually the first song we ever wrote together. We’d both spent years touring and chasing music, and the song came from that feeling of being inspired by LA one day and completely disillusioned by the next. It felt fitting that our first collaboration became a song about the struggle of making it as an artist.
Your music carries this laid-back, hazy feel, but there’s still a lot of intention underneath it. When you’re writing and creating, are you chasing a specific sound, or more of a feeling?
MICHAEL: We usually chase the feeling first. The finer details come later, but we can tell pretty quickly if an idea is worth pursuing based on the emotion it brings up. Our producer Sam Cohen played a huge role in shaping the sonic landscape—his off-kilter recording techniques gave the record a sense of space, warmth, and groove that really brought out what the songs were supposed to feel like.
DANE: We’re also really intentional about what we write. We start with pen and paper and work toward demos because we like to fully define songs before finishing them. We’re drawn to music that feels unclear in its time period—something timeless. The goal is to make songs we’ll still love years from now.
You’re both originally from the Bay—how has that shaped you creatively? And has being in/around LA changed your perspective at all?
DANE: The Bay is a special place. There’s a humility to it, but also a quiet ambition—you grow up around people building things and chasing ideas that seem impossible. That mindset stuck with us. LA felt like a natural extension of that energy through a creative lens, and after close to a decade, it’s become home.
MICHAEL: The Bay shaped me early on—there’s such a strong culture of live music, and I grew up digging through records and watching local bands. LA expanded that perspective. It can be overwhelming, but it pushes you to raise your standards and think bigger about what’s possible.
When you’re writing, do songs usually come together quickly, or are they something you sit with and reshape over time?
MICHAEL: I like to sit with ideas and approach them from different angles—different chord changes, melodies, lyrics. I’ll usually bring in a bunch of ideas I’ve been working on.
DANE: And I tend to follow feeling in the moment. I’ll start building melodies and lyrics right away—sometimes freestyling—and a lot of that sticks. We’re constantly bouncing ideas off each other, and there’s a lot of trust in that. Some songs take months, others happen in a day—“Spacey” was one where about 90% was done on day one.
What was the process like specifically for “Spacey”?
MICHAEL: It started as a guitar riff I had been sitting on. The first day we got together, I played it and Dane immediately said, “yeah, I can work with this.” Within a minute he sang the opening line, and we knew we had something special.
DANE: From there, we fell into a flow state. I started humming melodies and freestyling lyrics, and the song basically wrote itself. Mike’s riff was so catchy that the melodies felt obvious almost immediately.
There must be a moment when you know a song is finished—what does that feel like?
MICHAEL: For me, it’s when the song has said what it needed to say—musically, lyrically, and sonically. If the emotion comes through fully, we’ve done our job.
DANE: There’s also that moment in the studio where you realize nothing is missing. It goes from living in your head to something tangible, and hearing it back in that new light is incredibly rewarding.
What does it mean for you both to finally share The Rose Hips with the public?
DANE: It means a lot. We’ve lived with these songs for about a year—writing them, refining them, then flying out to Upstate New York to record with Sam Cohen. Now people finally get to hear them and make them their own.
MICHAEL: We’ve been building toward this for a long time. Now that the first song is out, it feels like everything is in motion. It’s like we’re finally harvesting the seeds we planted early on.
Who are some of your most important inspirations?
DANE: The Beatles are probably the biggest for me. I also grew up on The Velvet Underground, while Mike grew up on Led Zeppelin and Hendrix. Outside of music, I’m inspired by my parents and writers like Hemingway—people who can say something profound in a simple way.
MICHAEL: Radiohead, Kevin Parker, and Fleetwood Mac have been huge influences, along with The Beatles. And even outside of music, someone like Kobe Bryant for work ethic.
Do you have a dream artist you’d like to open for?
DANE: The Rolling Stones or Paul McCartney would be unreal. Also bands like The Strokes, Spoon, Arctic Monkeys, My Morning Jacket, or Cage the Elephant.
MICHAEL: Alabama Shakes, My Morning Jacket, Pinegrove, The Rolling Stones, Father John Misty, Courtney Barnett, The Strokes.
How do live performances shape your songs? Has “Spacey” taken on a different life live yet?
MICHAEL: We try to stay true to the record and the intention behind each song. There are some sounds we can’t fully replicate, but we’ve found a way to cover the important bases. Ideally, we’re a five-piece live, but it’s been fun adapting the show to different setups.
DANE: We also like each show to feel like its own experience, so “Spacey” will definitely evolve and take on different forms as we keep playing it.
Looking ahead, what are you most excited about right now?
MICHAEL: Getting back to writing is a big one. We’ve been so focused on release mode that we haven’t had as much time to just create, but there’s no shortage of ideas. We’re starting to lean into a more rock-heavy direction and explore new sounds—and we’re excited to get back on the road.
DANE: Meeting other bands, making music that surpasses my own expectations, and building The Rose Hips into something that impacts the genre and culture. I also hope people connect with the music enough to learn it—or even pick up instruments because of it.
Follow The Rose Hips: @itstherosehips