Kodaline's brand new album 'One Day At A Time' marks the band's fourth studio album release and kick-starts a brand new chapter for the band's career. The band are no strangers to success, with three Number One albums in their home country of Ireland, two Top Five albums in the UK and over one billion streams on Spotify.
The four-piece approached the album with a process that took them all the way back to their roots. The band's main objective for 'One Day At A Time' was to put an emphasis on the emotion that has made so many fall in love with Kodaline!
Here at The Lowdown, we've done a track-by-track album review of Kodaline's new album. Keep reading to check out our review!
The first three tracks on the album - 'Wherever You Are,' 'Sometimes' and 'Saving Grace' - were all released as singles prior to the album's release, and truly introduced fans to Kodaline's constantly evolving sound. Each single was very different in its nature, with 'Wherever You Are' being very vulnerable and containing very emotional lyrics, depicting the desire to be with somebody special in your life at any time, any place and any where.
Even though 'Sometimes' is incredibly upbeat and will have you singing along, there is a much deeper meaning to the track. 'Sometimes' is all about acceptance of the bad days, trying to stay positive and holding on to a hope that better days are coming. This track spins what could be a negative situation into something positive and offers such a bright hope for the future.
'Saving Grace' is one of the more stripped-back tracks on the album. The vulnerability throughout this album is exceptional. Kodaline have become renowned for penning emotional lyrics, but this track is a definitive stand-out throughout the album. The beautiful message in this track conveys having that somebody special in your life, who is there throughout it all - the good, the bad, and everything in between.
'Say Something' is the perfect follow-on track to 'Saving Grace,' with several similarities between the two tracks. Just like the preceding track, 'Say Something' has a sense of vulnerability to it, particularly with the well-written lyrics, including 'You can lean on me when it's hard to breathe, you can call me any time.' The track speaks about almost begging that special someone in life to say something, anything.
In our recent exclusive interview with Jay from Kodaline, which can you can check out here, he likened this track to being the 'most like the first album for me.' The 'beautiful strings' that feature on the track really add to its authenticity. He also went on to say that he is really looking forward to playing it live, accompanied by a string quartet.
'Spend It With You' tells the tale of a couple who make the promise to stick together throughout troublesome times. In short, if the world was ending tomorrow, they would spend the final evening together! The simplicity to the beat of this track correlates perfectly with the lyrics and allows the emotion to come to life.
'Care' is very realistic and shows that no relationship is perfect. A relationship can have its highs, but it can also have its lows, but by sticking by each other, you can overcome anything. The production throughout the entirety of the album is of an exceptionally high standard, but especially stands out in this anthem-like track.
What is particularly endearing and makes this album even more special is the strong vulnerability throughout. 'Heart Open' is again more stripped-back, but this does not take away from the fact that the vocals, production and lyrics on this track are once again fantastic. It's all about embracing the crazy journey of life and loving yourself enough, not shutting yourself out from the world.
'Everyone Changes' is heartbreakingly beautiful. It depicts being in a relationship where you can have your whole life planned out with someone, but it just isn't working out, regardless of how much effort is put into the relationship. As the track progresses, the lyrics unravel to highlight how people change, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worst. If a relationship does come to an end, this track is all about just trying to leave the past in the past and move on, even though that can be so incredibly difficult.
'In The End' is the final track on the album and perfectly wraps up what is an outstanding collection of tracks. The track conveys the importance of forgiving, forgetting and moving on, because ultimately, life is too short to hold a grudge or be angry at things that have happened in the past. You have to move past whatever life throws at you and focus on a positive future, which is well conveyed in this track!
Overall, we absolutely love 'One Day At A Time.' The hard work that Kodaline have ploughed into every aspect of the creation of the album is evident and we can't wait to see these tracks brought to life live on stage in the future!
Kodaline's new album 'One Day At A Time' is out now.
By Rachel Dempster