NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

First appearing in 2001, Lovedrug released their eponymous EP in 2002 and their Rocknroll EP in 2004 before releasing their debut record, Pretend You're Alive , in June of 2004. Selling over 20,000 records soon after the record was released, the band was signed to Columbia Records and their song " Spiders " was intended to be marketed as a radio hit. But rock star grandeur was never really in Lovedrug's reach, as the label dropped the band in the middle of restructuring. Lovedrug was a hard-working band, touring with acts such as The Killers , Robert Plant , Sam Phillips , Switchfoot , and Copeland . They would enjoy some success with their follow up record, Everything Starts Where It Ends ,  but would continue making music until 2020, although they are probably best remembered for their first two records.   SEARCHING ON A WIRE FOR A WIRE . The Militia Group was a record label founded by former Tooth & Nail Records employee Chad Pearson . Pearson founded the

Paramore 's second album Riot! made the pop-punk emo band of late millennial famous with the summer Alternative Rock and pop radio hit " Misery Business ," which is still arguably the band's signature hit. Usually, though, a band's signature hit is either their highest charting song or their located within the era of the band's commercial peak. However, seven years after the summer of "Misery Business," Paramore charted the highest with their 2014 final single from their eponymous record, " Ain't It Fun ." This shift from emo to more conventional pop was in line with fellow bands Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco did as well. Just as the scene kids were growing up as every generation of rebellious rock 'n' roll had, "Ain't It Fun" is a song about growing up and realizing that the world isn't as easy as you once thought it was. It may not be punk-rock, but it's certainly still got some emo sentimentali

Coming off of the success of the band's breakthrough single, "Misery Business," "crushcrushcrush" takes the band through the familiar territory of Riot 's teenage problems. The peaked at Number 2 on the Alternative Radio Play chart. The stadium rock produced rock-pop song is clearly in the style of 2007 rock, when emo was everything. The video depicts the band playing in the desert, the band with their jet black-dyed hair, Haley with her over-the-top stage makeup. This was a time when young bands on Warped Tour could end up on the Top 40. The band would surprisingly outdo their sophomore success, not on their follow-up, though Brand New Eyes  wasn't a total disappointment, but on their 2013 self-titled record, which would produce the Grammy Winning Rock Song of the Year for "Ain't It Fun." "Crushcrushcrush" shows who the band is on a fundamental level--a female-fronted emo rock band, a band for late millennials burgeoning just as

" My my, hey hey/ Rock 'n' Roll is here to stay" declares Neil Young in his 1978 song.  Rock music has had lasting presence in pop culture since the age of Chuck Berry and Little Richard . Some points in the '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, and '00s the genre took the primary spots on radio charts outside of the genre. However, around the end of the '00s, Hip Hop decimated the genre. The rock bands left standing, mostly traded their axes for acoustic guitar, keyboards, EDM beats, or Trap rhythms. Much of the rock music was indistinguishable from other genres, and that trend continues into the 2020s. However, just as rock bands cross over to the pop charts, the late 2010s to 2021 is seeing pop singers experiment with rock music. From Miley Cyrus performing with Metallica to rappers like Post Malone and Machine Gun Kelly flirting with emo, some may argue that Rock is seeing a mainstream resurgence. Enter Olivia Rodrigo 's " good 4 u ," t

Shura 's 2016 debut, Nothing's Real made a splash in the U.K. and Europe, but the electro-pop singer-songwriter didn't make a huge impact on the American charts, which is a shame. Hits like " What's It Gonna Be? " and " What Happened to Us? " were perfect hits for the mid-summer of the album's release, and I find that I come back to to it every spring to early fall. But while her contemporaries like Ellie Goulding and Carly Rae Jepsen keep songs pretty light and upbeat, there's a sadness and introversion that hides the lyrics beneath even the most dance-floor worthy tracks. SMALL CHANGE IN THE UNIVERSE . The daughter of a British documentary filmmaker, Shura uses a documentary style motif throughout  Nothing's Real,  featuring audio of the Shura as a child speaking and singing. Also in the vein of a documentary, Shura sings about her break up in third person "Make It Up." Other songs, like "Indecision" and "Kidz

I referenced this song last week when I talked about how the songs on this album  illustrate complicated emotions that many songwriters can't describe. "Rose- Colored Boy"  epitomizes the times that you want to be alone, you want to let the emotion out, but some obligation is in the way and you have to keep it together. What's worse is a person close to you is trying everything to get you to keep it together just a little longer. However, humans have to process the dark and ugly at some point. And it never falls on someone else's schedule. What you don't want to hear in those moments is an optimist's cliche. You don't feel like laughing. You don't feel like smiling and nodding anymore. This person is close to you, and they need to see you at your worst. Well, watch out Rosie! I JUST KILLED OFF WHAT'S LEFT OF THE OPTIMIST IN ME. Take a moment to read the poem by Ogden Nash, " The Outcome of Mr. MacLeod's Optimism ," and you'll

2017's After Laughter is arguably the best Paramore record both lyrically and musically. Musically, it's a pop album borrowing synths from the '80s, interesting drum arrangement, and some pensive guitars here and there. And although most songs are in major keys, lead singer and lyricist Haley Williams masterfully disguises some of the band's most difficult with smiles and summer vibes. The most telling track is "Fake Happy," but also songs like "Pool" and "Rose-Colored Boy" show this beautiful confusion of being the life of the party and dealing with other things inside. The name of the album itself is telling. Williams explains that the meaning is the expression the faces of a room full of people stop laughing. Smiles start to fade, maybe some tears are wiped away. While you may debate whether this band fits into their emo punk rock sound, the lyrics are an unadulterated emotional roller coaster. I CAN'T CALL YOU A STRANGER, BUT

I caught Paper Route playing one afternoon at the Gallery stage at Cornerstone. Many bands from Cornerstone don't stick around for long, but I could tell that this band had something very special. They played multiple instruments, but yet, their music didn't sound like it was trying too hard to be creative. It sounded like pop music. I bought their first EP which came in a paper bag. The songs were all about Christmas, but none of the songs were familiar Christmas songs. I began following the band's career. All of their releases were delayed. First the Are We All Forgotten EP, followed by their first major label debut LP   Absence , the departure of vocalist/guitarist Andy Smith, tours with Paramore and Anberlin, the delay of their second, poppier The Peace of Wild Things , an EP called Thank God the Year Is Finally Over , some random covers of Lorde and Destiny's Child , and then their final work, Real Emotion , released on September 23, 2016. BORROW HOPE TO UNDERSTAN