On June 12, Kodaline released a new album, “One Day at a Time.” Most people know the band for one of their two most popular songs, “All I Want” or “High Hopes.” However, since this album has been released, some new tracks have been getting some serious attention, coming to rival even the band’s two mainstays. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the songs beat some of the band’s classics.
The album begins with the track “Wherever You Are,” which has soared in popularity to become the band’s second most popular track. However, just because this track is the most popular on the album does not mean it’s the best the album has to offer. “Wherever You Are” has a relatively different sound from what the band has made in the past, and not necessarily for the better. The song does have some depth, as it’s lyrics talk about being away from the people we love and how they are still always with us in spirit, but the vocals are rather flat and uninteresting. The track is not terrible, just extremely unoriginal.
The album seems to redeem itself with the track “Say Something.” Grab some tissues for this one. While the vocals on this track are still not great, this track is much more vulnerable due to the soft piano and emotional lyrics. “Say Something” is about loving someone and wanting to help and support them while also being hurt by that person continually. It is about not being able to turn away and just wanting to keep the other person “safe” and “out of trouble” even after countless fights. The emotion can be physically felt in this song.
The album continues on with this rollercoaster of quality with the track “Care.” Yet another song that lacks depth both vocally and instrumentally, the track is nothing new or profound when it comes to lyrics either. While the track is relatively catchy, Kodaline stays pretty surface level with it
In fact, surface-level is a good way to describe most of the album. “Care” is about knowing that someone cares even though they may not say it or act like it. The thematic meaning behind the song may seem promising but the lack of vocal and instrumental depth kill the track.
The album appropriately ends with a track titled “In The End,” a song which provides a solid finish to this rollercoaster of an album. The band returns to their emotional and vulnerable roots in this song, so much so that the listener doesn’t even need the lyrics to feel the emotion. Again, the soft elements of piano and minimal instrumentals really make the song and the emotion more raw.
Overall, Kodaline’s latest album “One Day at a Time” is not their best work, but there are some hidden gems in there. Any song on this album that tried too hard for popularity was a true flop.