NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

Last year, Harry Styles released his third album, Harry's House . Last month, I talked about the former One Direction 's second album, his musical dark horse Fine Line . I've listened to this album a lot--or at least started listening to it a lot--in hopes that it will make me fall in love with it similar to how I fell in love with Fine Line. While I have started to pick up on the musical nuance in this record, I still think that Fine Line is superior. But here's a house for the tracks that I talk about on this record. I’ll furnish the house with more information as it is later!   1. " Music for a Sushi Restaurant " kicks the album off in the best way possible. I've heard so many music snobs slam this song as a soundtrack to shopping at Target , and that's partially true. It's "music for whatever you want." The somewhat shallow lyrics about the speaker's oral fixations set a tone for the album's lyrical depth. Things don't g

  We haven’t talked about the latest Anberlin EP, Silverline . Last summer, the band released their first project since 2014’s supposed-to-be swan song, Lowborn . This time, Anberlin has partnered with Equal Vision Records , rather than with their old family at Tooth & Nail . Rather than releasing a full-length record, the band decided to release it in two parts, Silverline and Convicted , which will arrive at the end of this month. On an episode of Lead Singer Syndrome , Stephen Christian said that the band had decided to release the album in two parts because he “didn’t understand the music industry these days.”  YOU KEEP GETTING CLOSER BUT YOU’RE SO DISTANT INSIDE. Anberlin isn’t the first band to release their albums as a series of EPs. When Mae became an independent artist, they released their ( m)orning , ( a)fternoon , and ( e)vening , which later combined into ( m)(a)(e) . Relient K released their K…Is for Karaoke record in two parts. Acceptance ’s latest record was re

Last year, MUNA released their self-titled record just in time to close out Pride month--and coincidentally coinciding with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The album contained several singles leading up to the release of the record and the early '00s inspired " What I Want ," bombastic, loud, and proud and ready to get us all "danc[ing] in the middle of a gay bar." Since the release, MUNA has had some notable appearances at Coachella alongside with indie darlings boygenius and opening for Taylor Swift on her most recent tour. At Coachella, MUNA debuted two new songs, including their most recent post-third record single, " One That Got Away ," an '80s/'00s-inspired synth pop track on the common theme of the band, love that never worked out. And that's where we'll base our AppleMusic edition of 2023's Pride playlist. Enjoy!   Read “One That Got Away” by MUNA on Genius

I would argue that since reputation , Taylor Swift has made a career based on revenge. The singer-songwriter is extremely intentional and calculated when releasing new singles and albums. Most recently, Swift released yet another deluxe edition of Midnights , this time calling it The Til Dawn Edition , featuring a new song and two remixes. When she first released Midnights in October of last year, many listeners were wondering what was different about the album. It felt like reputation but the singer was in a steady relationship with English actor Joe Alwyn , and everything was going great, right? right? KARMA IS A CAT PURRING ON MY LAP. When tabloids started reporting that Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn had split in early April this year, the pointed lyrics of Midnights started to make a little more sense. Was Swift reacting to the expectations--from others or even Alwyn-- that their relationship should end in marriage? Could the singer stay in a "1950s shit" " Lavender Ha

The electronic dance music of the ‘10s couldn’t be farther from ILLENIUM ’s self-titled album , released last month. Following up 2019’s Ascend , the eponymous record delves into pop-punk and hard rock along with more familiar sounds of pop and R&B. Although ILLENIUM started his career remixing Alternative artists like Florence + the Machine and Lana Del Rey , he found success in working with pop acts. But today’s song is a prime example of how rock became popular in the early ‘20s after nearly 20 years of being untrendy. I SAY I’M FINE, BUT I’M MISERABLE.  In an interview with Zach Sang shortly after releasing his self-titled album, ILLENIUM talked about his rock influences which he could now proudly bring to his DJ career. But rather than assembling artists like his rock heroes, something an artist may have done twenty years ago when artists’ peak careers were shorter, Illenium features three veteran acts: All Time Low , Avril Lavigne , and Travis Barker . Today we’ll discuss t

In 2022, Betty Who released her fourth record, BIG!   Who talked about the themes that would eventually contribute to this album on the Queerty podcast, talking about her embracing her tall stature and clothing choices, intentionally focusing on her masculine side. Who told host Cameron Esposito that she started wearing men's clothing because she could find them in her size, and then continued because she felt comfortable in them. The title track " BIG ," challenges all folks--women, men, and non-binary folks--to embrace what is true to themselves. I thought today's song would be the perfect introduction to 2023's Pride playlist. For this playlist, I've started by assembling 30 songs by LGBTQ+ musicians and allies. Let's have a great Pride month!  

  This is the third track I’ve talked about from Miley Cyrus ’ latest album, Endless Summer Vacation .   Although the album doesn’t have a title track, the album’s title comes from the album’s third track, “ Rose Colored Lenses .” Musically, the track is proof of the influence of Cyrus’ last album, Plastic Hearts . While Endless Summer Vacation is thoroughly a pop album and a kind of return to form of the “ Wrecking Ball ” singer, the heavy bass guitar in the ballad “Rose Colored Lenses” feels like it comes from the rock-heavy previous album. SOMEHOW THE BEDSHEETS ARE DIRTY. Lyrically both Endless Summer Vacation and Plastic Hearts are similar. Both albums deal with the singer’s divorce with Liam Hemsworth . Both albums deal with the singer’s independent, untamable spirit. And both albums have a little regret in them. Today’s song “Rose Colored Lenses” is a recollection about how good the sex was. The metaphor of the song likens sex to putting on “rose-colored lenses,” initially blindi