Upon first impression, most people view The World Over as a band exuding kick-butt, in-your-face, post-hardcore pandemonium. Underneath the surface is a cavern of emotional depth that originates from their life stories; particularly vocalist Tiaday Rocke’s commentary on the distinct experiences that could only be told through her lens. Being a female rock ‘n’ roll screamer is treacherous enough – then throw the discussion of sexuality and LGBTQ+ advocacy into the mix and it’s easy to see why Rocke has stories to tell and messages to share.
Pride Month is a pinnacle moment for her to shine and Rocke makes it a point to continuously be a source of solace for those seeking inspiration and authenticity beyond the month of June. The rock music genre has a history of lacking representation and Rocke fought many hurdles to set a new precedent.
“I was told to hide on social media that I liked women, my relationship status needed to be ‘single’ even if I wasn’t, remove any gay dating profiles, even go as far as suggest to hire someone to hide any google searches relating me to anything LGBTQ+,” Rocke said.
She emphasized that this discouraging advice emboldened her reason for remaining true to herself in an industry that wanted to fight against it.
Eventually I had a f*** it moment after trying my best to look feminine or reach some sort of compromise for other people when I realized it wasn’t creating success for my band anyway so I might as well just live happily with who I am. People are attracted to authenticity in my opinion.
Tiaday Rocke, The World Over
Although these brash moments of going against the grain are impactful and effective, it isn’t the only way she encourages authenticity, openness, and inclusion. Rocke is also an ally through conversation, art, and friendship, which are simple ways that anyone can show support for the LGBTQ+ community in their daily lives.
“I’ve been the person that closeted friends have felt they could confide in on how to come out. I’ve written songs about wlw so other women who are unsure, or are sure, can relate to it or feel like they have representation in this genre. I don’t go to marches or pride festivals because I’m fairly introverted, unless I’m on stage, so that isn’t really my thing,” Rocke explained.
“Whenever we perform our song called “To Be Human” (out July 9th) I explain that it’s about how we’re all the same inside, we all bleed the same, and it doesn’t matter how you look or are perceived.”
Just because Rocke appears unapologetic and clear in her rhetoric doesn’t mean she isn’t doing the work to unravel her own inner tangle of societal conditioning and uncertainty. As her lyrics clearly convey – we are all humans battling the same fights. Ultimately, candidly sharing her stories can create strength in vulnerability and invoke change through genuine discussion.
“I grew up thinking it’s the right thing to be more reserved about my identity – that it’s gross to look at or people don’t want to see that. I think that growing up as part of the LGBTQ+ community as a millenial in particular, we’re balancing on this weird threshold where we still feel the fear that our ancestors carried the burden for but we’re also in such a great era to be outspoken and accepted for it because of all the work of previous generations,” Rocke said.
“There’s still a lot of natural undoing to overcome and that in itself needs to be discussed more often I think. For me, that process starts in just simply making our love seem as common as anything else instead of this “big deal” (even though that’s one way to go about it too) and letting it come naturally in the writing process, if applicable,” she added.
The World Over is making big plans to unveil the “Artificial” EP on August 6. The release is an open-fire of rage, angst, passion, and expression fueled by the struggles of the millennial generation. In between the heavy riffs, their lyrics tackle timely, yet daunting topics including addictive toxic relationships, cancel culture, and widespread naivety towards racial inequality.
The band shows no sign of slowing down. This female-fronted quintet is staking their claim in the world of post-hardcore with explosive riffs and blood-curdling screams that will leave you wanting more. They’re taking the country by storm to share their music on tour with Powerman 5000 this Fall.
Follow The World Over online to be in-the-know on their upcoming music releases this summer.
Written by Tori Kravitz