On “Welcome to the Rodeo”, the elastic intro to Life of a Dark Rose, Lil Skies proclaims that he’d tattooed his face to keep himself committed to music. The Pennsylvania native’s faith paid off before he was out of his teens—his “Red Roses” was one of 2017’s biggest underdog success stories. That song, while melodic and ethereal, betrays the impressive lyrical precision that Skies packs into much of Life of a Dark Rose. He’s a dynamic vocalist and wordsmith, just as prepared to ride the emo guitar line of “Cloudy Skies” as he is to rattle off complex couplets over spacey chimes on “Signs of Jealousy”.