Weekend Round Up: New Releases From Kodaline, Rina Sawayama, Trevor Daniel and More
Miss us? We’re taking a break and cooking up a brand new season of Rhapsody in Reverie for you! But until that magical day when we return to the podcasting airwaves, we couldn’t resist talking music shop with the world. We’re sharing a few of the new songs that came out this past weekend that we couldn’t get enough of! Read on below to hear some of co-host Katarina and Adrienne’s favorites of the moment!
“Sunday in London” By Kids That Fly
Formed in 2018 at the University of Connecticut, alt-rock band Kids That Fly has been a shining example of the progression of the genre. They had me hooked with “Kiss Her, You Fool!”, but “Sunday in London” is probably their best track yet! A joyfully lovelorn romp about trying to get your mind off of someone and failing miserably, “Sunday in London” would be a perfect fit for a rom-com soundtrack, right at the end where the protagonists realize they were made for each other all along and run into each other’s arms. It’s also just a fantastic song to dance to, with a melody so catchy you’ll be humming it for hours. I can’t help but feel energized by this absolute bop. If you’re a fan of Weezer, The Maine, or The 1975, you may just find your new favorite band in Kids That Fly, and your new favorite Summer jam in “Sunday in London.”
“Sometimes” By Kodaline
Irish indie/rock band Kodaline has been on basically every playlist I’ve made since I’ve discovered their existence. This new single, “Sometimes,” chronicles the uphill struggle of taking care of your mental health, dealing with anxiety, and taking the good days with the bad. Steve Garrigan really didn’t pull any punches with his lyricism, as the song does an excellent job of portraying how sometimes the bad days overwhelm you despite your best efforts to combat them. It’s beautifully written and even more beautifully orchestrated. It’s a comforting song, reminding us that we aren’t alone in our struggles with mental health, and that it’s okay to slip up every now and then. After all, we’re only human.
“Past Life” By Trevor Daniel
You may know Trevor Daniel from his hit song “Falling,” which went viral as a song popular with TikTok users. If, like me, you’re practically a geriatric who doesn’t use that app and therefore hadn’t heard about it before, congratulations! Let me introduce you to Trevor Daniel. “Past Life” is a song that seems to be a glimpse into a turning point, where your inner turmoil explodes in the most inconvenient way. Something has ended, you can’t go back to who you were, and at the end of it all, you’re still you. How do you deal with that? If you’re Trevor Daniel, you write an anthemic pop ballad about it. It’s a pretty powerful, melancholic song that balances the sadness and confusion with a beautiful melody and dope trap beat. Co-written by FINNEAS, the song is a great indicator of how good Daniel’s new album is sure to be.
“XS” By Rina Sawayama
I’m generally more of a minimalist but Dirty Hit signee Rina Sawayama’s latest single, “XS” is a beautiful maximalist pop daydream and I love it. Feeling almost like a spiritual cousin to MARINA’s hit “Primadonna,” “XS’ brilliantly caricatures vanity and opulence both musically and lyrically. Everything about this song is in excess. The scattered and kitchen sink approach to the instrumentation conveys what is a musical satire of excess culture and materialism. An excess of repetition throughout the track is undeniably catchy and entrancing. Even the chorus is lengthy as if Rina Sawayama couldn’t help but want more and more hooks. From the moment, it starts you are drowning in the retro pop sounds. “XS” is everything you want from a great pop song, making you dance and think in equal measure. Across her growing discography, Rina Sawayama is proving to be a pop genius in a way that is bold and unlike most others out there. The last time I felt this way about a new female pop star, I was hearing Charli XCX for the first time in 2013. God, her upcoming record is gonna be a jam!
“Song Number 1.5” By Pronoun
I can always count on Pronoun to tug at my heartstrings. “Song Number 1.5” feels like falling in love, evoking a featherlike floating and yearning inside yourself. Contemplative and open, vulnerability has always been the cornerstone of what makes pronoun one of my favorite songwriters. Listening to her songs, you feel understood and “Song Number 1.5” is no different, quieting the world around you. “Song Number 1.5” is an early Sunday morning when the world is still sleeping, the house dark and quiet while thoughts swirl lazily in your head. The echoing reverb and simple arrangement make every second of the short track sound like a dream. While short, I can’t think of a single thing I would want to add to it. There’s an art in sensing when to let go of a creation and, in my humble opinion, Pronoun knew exactly when it was time to share her creation with the world.
“Walk With Me” By Till I Fall
San Jose band Till I Fall’s latest single spoke to the scene kid heart inside of me that will never die. Cool, collected and darkly satisfying, “Walk With Me” is an enticing invitation into your own personal underworld. Every lyric is compelling and provocative in the clear imagery they conjure up in your head, pairing well with smooth guitar riffs and an infectious rhythm section. “Walk With Me” has so much of everything I loved from my favorite pop-punk bands from the early 2000s, sounding like a fresh blend between Bayside and Monty Are I. Having listened to quite a few Till I Fall tracks, you can hear them evolve with each new song they put out and “Walk With Me” continues Till I Fall’s upward trajectory.