"Brand New Day" by Kodaline, Thursday, January 6, 2021

I was in coffee shop in Sinsa, a neighborhood near Gangnam in Seoul, when I first heard Kodaline. The Irish band's debut album, In a Perfect World and the EPs containing different versions of songs from around that time were perfect for a cup of coffee. Subsequent albums have made the band sound like they were striving to be another Coldplay, but they got it right the first time on their debut. I'm recommending the acoustic version of "Brand New Day," featuring Nina Nesbitt.

I WANNA TRAVEL THE WOLD, BUT I JUST CAN'T DO IT ALONE. The lyrics of "Brand New Day" talk about "outgrowing your hometown" and wanting to "travel the world" with someone. As someone who could be said to be (still) on that journey, I remember the feelings of travel thirst. I got to the end of my bachelor's degree and thought about the constraints of going back home to North Carolina. I thought about how it would be a few years of struggle in a career before buying a house. I thought about my very few trips overseas and how I wanted to get out of America and experience other cultures. I wanted to get away from the people I knew and form new patterns and figure out who I am. So many friends who were older than me told me to do it. "When you settle you get roots, and it's much harder to leave when you have the responsibilities of a mortgage and kids." So I went to South Korea. And I started building roots here. It's not exactly what I had in mind, but I'm enjoying life and learning something new every day that my younger self would never foresee myself doing.

WE COULD BE BIG IN JAPAN. While it's nice to be nostalgic, this song also pushes me forward, but not in a way that makes me question my life decisions (have you really quenched your travel thirst?). It's a brand new year full of possibilities. I felt that way last year and was off to a good start around this time. What's different? I know how crappy things can get. We're still in the middle of a pandemic. There's hope of a vaccine, but anything else could go wrong. But I start to think about the things that I have control over. I may not be able to go home to America for a while or travel to other countries, but I have my teaching skills. I can work on my goals. I can truly embrace my introverted nature and be creative (at home!). I'm waiting on a brand new day, but I've got a plan b until it stops raining.

Album version Music Video/ Acoustic version featuring Nina Nesbitt: