NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

The lyrics on Sasha Alex Sloan 's 2020 record Only Child   will leave you emotionally wrecked upon first listen. But by no means let that stop you. Sloan is one of the most poingnat songwriters today, which is why she has been called upon to write for other pop stars including Camilla Cabello ,  Juice WRLD , Lecrae , LANY , Charli XCX , Katy Perry , P!nk , Oh Wonder , and tons more. Only Child is a perfect  Sad Girl    album, with its lyrical honesty--not necessarily telling the whole truth, but holding nothing back about the unpleasantness of reality. However, despite the heavy topics of homelessness,  conflicts with parents when growing up, divorce, and loss, Sloan seems to leave the listener with hope, showing a different perspective on the speaker's thoughts as a child and as an adult.  YOU WON'T BE THE ONE HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING. " Until It Happens to You " is the penultimate track on Only Child  and it serves as an emotional climax for the album. Sloan expl

Forget and Not Slow Down   is   Relient K 's sixth album. The band had shifted away from " tongue-in-cheek " lyrics in previous albums and had enjoyed mainstream pop radio success as well as topping the Christian charts.   Forget and Not Slow Down , however, starts to see a shift away from the safety of the youth group, as vocalist and songwriter   Matt Thiessen 's writes about the dissolving of a  relationship with radio DJ Shannon Murphy, the   details of which Murphy shared  haven't been confirmed by the Relient K frontman, but the lyrics become clearer in the context of this interview. IT'S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD, JUST YOU AND ME.   Forget and Not Slow Down  is a breakup masterpiece, and one of the most cohesive and listenable, yet under-rated Relient K records, particularly if you don't like Relient K.  Musically, the band is joined by The O.C. Supertones and Project 86 guitarist Ethan Luck , playing on the drums for this record. The band is also

On   December 4, 2015,  Troye Sivan  released his wildly successful first LP,  Blue Neighbourhood .  Building a large Internet fanbase,  Blue Neighbourhood   peaked at #7  on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The standard edition of  Blue Neighbourhood  contained  3 of the 10 songs from the previously released  Wild  EP . The LP, though, gave Sivan his first US Top 40 single, " Youth ." Four of the ten songs on  Blue   were singles, starting with "Wild," a remix of which was rereleased with guest vocals by Alessi a   Cara as Sivan's fourth single from the album, which was a major hit in South Korea.     TRUTH RUNS WILD.  The final single, " Heaven ," was released on October 17, 2016. The  Jack Antonoff -produced single features a second verse from fellow Australian pop star,  Betty Who . After Sivan came out in a YouTube video in August of 2013, he became an LGBTQ+ icon, as he processed his sexuality in the lyrics of his music. Part of the promotion for  B

Manchester Orchestra began as a project when lead singer Andy Hull dropped out of his Christian high school in Atlanta to study at home during his senior year. Hull grew up in a religious household ; his father and grandfather both ministers. Hull went on to form a band with musicians who had a similar faith background. But on the band’s sophomore release, Mean Everything to Nothing, Hull assesses his spiritual trauma, critiquing  mainstream Christianity in the album’s twelve songs. Similar to the work of David Bazan and Pedro the Lion , Manchester Orchestra’s  Mean Everything to Nothing is a classic in Ex-Evangelical deconstruction. DIRTY ON THE GROUND IS WHAT I NEED.  The standard evangelical teaching is that Christians and the non-Christian forces in the world are at war. There are constant temptations that try to distract Christians from their main duty in life: to worship God. Though definitions of sin vary, from a list of actions and thoughts one can do or have to an ethereal

I’ve written about the parallels between Christian Rock band NEEDTOBREATHE and Alternative Rock band Kings of Leon . But despite the bands’ similar origin stories, members growing up to ministers in very conservative backgrounds, Kings of Leon left their Christian upbringing and NEEDTOBREATHE embraced it. While NEEDTOBREATHE has had general market success, their fan base is mostly from Christian Hit Radio, to which the band does their duty to push the limits on songs like "Let's Stay Home Tonight" and "Clear" but ultimately keep the fires of sexiness under control. TRADIG PUNCHES WITH THE HEART OF DARKNESS. “ Hard Love ” is a sequel to the band’s hit “ Brother .” The song “Brother” was birthed out of a family conflict between founding members, brothers Bear and Bo Reinhart . The sibling rivalry came to a head during the recording of NEEDTOBREATHE’s record Rivers in the Wasteland . Like the Rolling Stone interview with Kings of Leon, the conflict between the

There was something about the music scene in the early '00s when a rock band had to first make it the UK before making it in the US. Some music fans were confused when The Killers gained popularity in America after first breaking in the UK. But after releasing three successful records in the UK, no one would mistake Kings of Leon as a British group. The band's lead singer, Caleb Followill and his southern drawl placed the band solidly in a lineage of southern rock. It's not the particular type of music normally associated with British Rock, but that didn't stop " Sex on Fire " from becoming the second most downloaded single ever in the UK.   I KNOW THEY'RE WATCHIN'. The song that brought Kings of Leon to the top of the American Rock charts was "Sex on Fire" from the band's fourth record, Only By the Night . As the song blew up, a lot of interest formed around the band. "Sex on Fire" was at home in naughties rock, a time when ro

I've written a bit last year about how I'm a Coldplay apologist. I believe that the London-based band is very good at what they do. Though so many artists accomplish their sound, both musically and lyrically, better, there's something uplifting about a new Coldplay album. Early last year, I talked about the band's first single from their ninth studio record,   Music of the Spheres , " Higher Power ." The album was released on October 15 last year. Before the release of the record and after releasing "Higher Power," the band released the promotional single, the 10:17 track " Coloratura ," which was praised by critics for its composition and production. Then they released the second radio single " My Universe ," featuring the South Korean boy band, BTS . The song shot straight to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 , becoming the second Coldplay single to top the Hot 100, the first being " Viva la Vida ." I JUST WANT TO PUT

  Cruel to Be Young   was one of my college albums. I wrote a bit about the two  Jonezetta  albums  back in January.   Rather than being an '80s/ Killers  sounding album, the band went '70s/laid back, hippy sounding music.  According to Randy Torres episode of Labeled,  the inspiration behind this album was  The Shins , which was another college favorite of mine. While  Aaron Sprinkle  and  Randy Torres  may have had a great time making this record, it may have been the demise of Jonezetta as fans were expecting something catchy and dancy. Interestingly my college friends liked this album, but not their debut, but my hometown friends, loved  Popularity   and couldn't get into  Cruel to Be Young.  Jonezetta's follow up album reminds me of my youth--being 21 years old at its release, and how cruel it was to be a young Seventh-day Adventist. ALL THE DIFFERENT REASONS WHY YOU SLEEP ALONE . I’ve railed on purity culture so much without giving any person anecdotes. I speak fr

An understated track on Carly Rae Jepsen 's seminal record E-MO-TION , " Let's Get Lost " comes to life in Jepsen's concerts. While most solo artists work with a revolving set of musicians, Jepsen's core band has stayed fairly consistent, with guitarist and fellow songwriter Tavish Crowe , drummer Nik Pesut , and keyboardist Jarod Manierka remaining in her band since 2010 and bassist Adam Siska staying in the band for ten years until 2020.  I WAS NEVER ONE TO PUT MY TRUST IN SOMEONE ELSE COMPLETELY. In June when I was writing about Carly Rae Jepsen as the foundation of my Pride playlist , I listened to the B-Side Chicks podcast that described one of her concerts. Before going to the concert, he wondered who would be attending a Carly Rae Jepsen concert. Would it be tweens? The mostly clean bubblegum lyrics of the " Call Me Maybe " singer could warrant a younger audience. Instead, the podcaster discovers a venue filled with incredibly "hot d

In 2016, Jake Miller released a style-changing EP titled Overnight . The south- Florida-based singer started his musical career while he was a student at the University of Miami , posting videos of his music online. Miller cut his teeth in Hip-Hop, opening for Snoop Dogg and releasing several Hip-Hop EPs and a full length record in 2013. Miller’s music always featured a tropical house melodic elements, but in 2016, Miller shifted more to singing, releasing Overnight without any rapping. The seven-track EP of feel-good electronic vibes, are brimming with youth, vitality, and sexuality.  YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO NOWHERE BABY.  With only two minor pop radio hits, 2014’s “ First Flight Home ” and 2019’s “ Wait for You ,”  Jake Miller certainly isn’t a household name.  But the late summer sounds of  Overnight  were refreshing in a year of turmoil. In an interview with Zach Sang , Miller discusses his change in sound and his new life in Los Angeles. While explaining his change in style, Miller

  Copeland ’s “ I Can Make You Feel Young Again ” seems like a straight-forward love song. The beautiful lyrics describe love, growing old together, and death in an original, poetic way. The pre-chorus makes the listener feel small in the vastness of time, contrasting the light from stars billions of light years away and the ancient ground, which will “drag us under.” But to Aaron Marsh , this isn’t a straight forward love song. WHEN I FEEL LIKE I’M DEAD, YOU’RE REVIVING ME. The music video (see below) makes Marsh’s vision for “I Can Make You Feel Young Again” clear. Marsh confirms the meaning of the song on an episode of Labeled podcast . The idea of the song is a man is promised youth by a siren, but the siren drowns him. Of course reading the lyrics over and over you won’t be able to get that story from the text alone. But if we place this extra-textual interpretation onto the song, it makes sense that its the song of the siren, promising the fisherman that she can make feel young a

There had been hints and tendencies listeners could pick up on from earlier Falling Up records. There was the occasional strange word choice on Crashings . There was esoteric storytelling on Dawn Escapes . There were the made up words on Exit Lights , the remix record. And for the band’s third studio record on BEC Recordings , Captiva ,  Falling Up delved into Greek mythology and science fiction.  But for the band’s fourth record,  Fangs!   Falling Up presented a full concept record, this time without Bible verses in the album notes.  This time fully indulging in world-building. SOME OF US HAVE SEEN GOLDEN ARROWS POISED.  Working with frontman Casey Crescenzo of cult-status progressive indie band The Dear Hunter , the sound on Fangs! steers the band away from the electronic and Nu Metal influence Falling Up had previously embraced. Before releasing the record, lead singer Jessy Ribordy shared the story behind the concept record. Ribordy explained that story is a prologue to the alb

It's no surprise that Andrew McMahon lists Billy Joel as one of his biggest influences. Though separated by nearly decade from when Joel released his final record of original songs in 1993 and when McMahon's piano-based pop punk band Something Corporate debuted in 1998. But McMahon's Billy Joel influences seem to come alive on McMahon's second act, Jack's Mannequin , and their third record  People and Things .  AMELIA JEAN, YOU WENT AND MARRIED A SOLIDER. Jack's Mannequin's People and Things is full of storytelling. According to an interview with  Meet the Musician , People and Things is the record on which McMahon processes his survival from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Although his previous record, The Glass Passenger , deals with survival, particularly on songs like " Swim ," People and Things deals with the aftermath--the thoughts on the road trips McMahon took across America. However, McMahon wrote several of the songs that ended up on Peo

Composed of former child actors  Jenny Lewis  and  Blake Sennett ,  Rilo Kiley  was an indie rock band from Los Angelos but signed to  Warner Brothers   for their final album,  Under the Blacklight .  The band's song " Pictures of Success " was featured on the mixtape  I wrote about last year.  Jenny Lewis often serves as the band's lead singer; however, on this track, Blake Sennett takes the lead vocals.   Under the Blacklight  is the band's final album with the exception of a  rarities compilation . After the release of  Under the Blacklight  and their subsequent tour to support the album, the band went on hiatus, which later turned into a break-up.  YOU'RE THE GIRL WHO WANTED MORE.  One of singer Jenny Lewis's most remembered roles on TV as a child actress was an  episode from a season 3 episode of  The Golden Girls , in which she plays the role of a Sunshine Cadet, a kind of Girl Scout, who volunteers to help the women with some house work. Blanche acc