NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

The Jonas Brothers decided to break up in 2013. It was the end of a squeaky-clean Disney pop era when the brothers started forging solo careers. For Nick Jonas , the youngest of the brothers, success came easy: acting, modeling, and hit singles all in his own right. The oldest Jonas ( Kevin, Jr .) mostly worked on business ventures outside of music. But today, we're focusing on the middle child, Joe Jonas , who, unlike Nick, couldn't ride the fame of the Jonas name to instant stardom. TALK TO ME BABY. What did work for Joe was forming a new band, DNCE  in 2015. Joe Jonas formed the group with his roommate at the time, drummer  Jack Lawless . The band added the lead guitarist from Jordan Sparks ' touring band, JinJoo Lee . She had known the Jonas Brothers since Sparks had opened for them. The final member, Cole Whittle came from the glam-rock band Semi Precious Weapon , and joined DNCE because of Jonas's connection with Semi Precious Weapon's lead singer Justin Tra...

Sometime after 21, birthdays start to feel anticlimactic. The vestiges of childhood have disappeared now that you can drink, smoke, watch any movie, and drive. Besides renting a car and a senior citizen’s discount, whatever you look forward to as an adult isn’t tied to your birthday. And while laws vary state to state, sixteen is the symbolic age when teenagers gain their greatest independence: their driver’s licenses. The anticipation for this rite of passage plays out to the point of being cliché in teen movies, but remembering the day one received that laminated card connects every generation of Americans. Perhaps that’s why Olivia Rodrigo ’s breakthrough single was such a massive hit last year. The first single from her debut record SOUR , starts the Disney Channel actress’s in slow, sad-girl territory, similar to the slower tunes of Lorde and Billie Eilish . But even on a slow track like today’s song, we still get a driving rock beat. And while releasing one of the slowest songs ...

  Today, we’ll revisit high school in a playlist The Angsty Aughts. This playlist will compile and celebrate the Emo songs I’ve blogged about. For this list, I’ve decided to focus on scene music from 2003-2009. I’m sure that a second generation of Emo featuring Olivia Rodrigo and Goody Grace will be a post in the future. For this playlist, I've decided to stick to a high school theme because that's what Emo does best, so I listed the song as "Class of" based on the year that the song was introduced. Enjoy! Listen to Angsty Aughts on AppleMusic . 1. " The Sound " by Further Seems Forever (Class of '03), the song of the day. 2. " Embers and Envelops " by Mae (Class of '03) 3. " All of Me " by Watashi Wa (Class of '03) 4. " Coffee " by Copeland  (Class of '03) 5. " Crushcrushcrush " by Paramore  (Class of '07) 6. " Sick in the Teeth " by Jonezetta (Class of '08) 7. " Spiders ...

The first single and second song from their third record   " There Goes Our Love Again " sets  White Lies  firmly in synth-based post-punk. The Manchester-based band released   Big TV   in August of 2013. The lead single only charted in Belgium, where the album was produced, and the album's cover art was acclaimed by Pitchfork , which rated it as one of the best of 2013. But, if there's any consistent theme in my blog, I try to champion the underrated, and in my opinion,  Big TV is truly one of the most underrated rock albums of the 2010s, and " There Goes Our Love Again " one of the most underrated pop-rock songs. HOME IS A DESPERATE END.   In The Guardian 's review of Big TV , the critic talks about the concept of the album. The story tells of a young woman who has left her unfaithful boyfriend ("There Goes Our Love Again") to find happiness in running around in Europe. In a track-by-track audio commentary  of the album in which the b...

  In 2016, Tyson Motsenbocker signed to Tooth & Nail Records and released his debut LP, Letters to Lost Loves . Motsenbocker had been deeply affected by the loss of his mother and decided to go on a walk between San Diego and San Francisco to process his grief. Some of those reflections could be heard on Letters. Although Motsenbocker didn't follow up Letters with a full length until 2020, Someday I'll Make It All Up to You , he released two EPs in 2017, Almira and A Kind Invitation .  I KISSED YOU AFTER MIDNIGHT. Almira is a beautiful EP with 5 songs, including " Rust " (see post) and " Coeur d'Alene ," and A Kind Invitation includes " Talk All Night for Nothing ," (see post) which Motsenbocker would go on to perform with Switchfoot 's Jon Foreman and release as a single, the eponymous storytelling, spoken word track; and today's song " Something in the Way ," which deals revisits relationship material as "Talk A...

Before the pandemic, everything seemed to be on an upward trajectory for singer-songwriter/rapper/producer Branson Gudmundson, known by his stage name  Goody Grace . The 24-year-old Manitoban musician started in his teens covering pop music. He began producing his own music on a laptop, as he tells podcaster Mike Gunz , out of necessity as there weren't any major studios in his hometown of Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada. His earlier songs mix auto-tuned vocals, trap beats, drum samples, and love guitars to create blend of Emo Rap. When Goody Grace moved to Los Angelos, his career started to gain traction. I WANT OUT, BABY TRUCE. Whether it was writing songs for Machine Gun Kelly or filling in guest spots in his singles and EP tracks with the likes of Juicy J, Cigarettes After Sex, or even blink-182 , the young artist has built an impressive resume up to this point. He and blink-182 performed his single  " Scumbag "   before the pandemic on Jimmy Kimmel . In 2021, Goody ...

Adam Young was inescapable in 2008 with his dreamy #1 hit " Fireflies ," released under the moniker Owl City . Although Owl City went on to produce more records since 2008, other than being a featured artist on Carly Rae Jepsen 's " Good Time ," Owl City or Adam Young weren't on many listener's radar after "Fireflies." But one year prior to Owl City's breakthrough record, Ocean Eyes , Adam Young teamed up with his friend Austin Tofte to form the side project Swimming with Dolphins , releasing their debut EP Ambient Blue   and a B-side cover of Tracy Chapman 's " Fast Car ." I'M LIVING HERE WITHOUT YOU. In 2011 Swimming with Dolphins released their debut record, Water Colours ,  produced by several producers including Tofte and Aaron Sprinkle , and the album was released on Tooth & Nail Records . The band added backing vocalist Breanne Düren on this record, creating a musical conversation on tracks like today's s...