Though this album was written during and inspired by last winter’s brutal reign (as detailed by Susanna Rose’s Bandcamp), there is something inherently warm and inviting about Snowbound. It takes a minimalistic look at some of life’s most tender moments — parting with a lover, suppressing a broken heart, convincing yourself of your own independence. Susanna possesses an incredible ability to be conversational through her writing. It almost feels as though a longtime friend is seated next to you, sharing her worries and shedding small wisdoms.

On “Working Girl,” the opening track to the album, she sings “Oh, I want to go home / where the wind blows / and I’m not in an office every day / I can’t live this way…It’s time to go / because I’m going crazy here in my troubled mind / I need natural light / I need loving at night / I need a passionate life”. I’m sure every 9-to-5’er can relate to these sentiments of stir craziness, especially when the harsh bite of Western New York winter settles in. Despite being kind of a claustrophobic thought, there is something reassuring in Susanna’s voice, like it is totally okay to feel trapped here because we, as songwriter and listener, are experiencing it together.

My favorite track on the album, “Ancient History,” details a memory of a car ride down South. It’s a bittersweet reminiscence and you can’t help but to think of haunting memory of a relative or a significant travel of your own.

The snow and plummeting temperatures have yet to really hit us hard, but this album is still just as accessible without the backdrop of true winter. I would highly recommend this release for a cold morning, cozy evening or long drive.