Welcome to another exciting edition of New Music Friday! This week I highlight the new Kings Of Leon track that’s really relevant right now, Kygo’s latest collaboration, an impactful anthem from Thomas Rhett that brings together four award-winning country artists, Hayley Williams’ positive new song, and Lindsay Lohan’s music comeback that will have you dancing and bopping your head to the beat.
“Going Nowhere” by Kings Of Leon
This is the first new single from the band in almost four years now! Simple, yet powerful with the black and white styled video, frontman Caleb Followill encourages us all to remain at home and practice good social distancing because one day we can all return to doing the fun outdoor activities again like seeing them perform live in concert.
What was striking in the video, firstly, is the fact that we don’t fully see his face straight on, he performed the entire song on an acoustic guitar with his back facing towards us. Secondly, it’s worth noting that there’s an exclusion of the band members in this video which was filmed in Nashville, TN. I thought that was perfect video composition. Props to director Casey McGrath.
The lyrics, “I’m going nowhere, if you got the time. I’m going nowhere, you’re on my mind,” is really topical for our current new norm. Caleb hits it home with that message, that we’re all in this together. Our collective efforts of not going anywhere out of our house (except for essential runs to the grocery store or a quick solitary walk for example) will pay off. The band has us in their thoughts. We have to fight this one step at a time. There will be a time where the sun will shine again figuratively and we will emerge on the other side as evident by the lyrics, “And it’s a long hard road until I can get to you. And I’ll be holding on, hoping the sun comes shining through.”
You can currently watch and listen to Kings Of Leon’s new song in the YouTube video above. Hopefully they’ll add it to their next studio album, which would be the band’s eighth. But for now, the band would like us to check out Live Nation’s Global Relief Fund website to see how you can support touring and venue crews impacted by COVID-19.
“I’ll Wait” by Kygo & Sasha Sloan
Pivoting to something a bit more upbeat in sound but still deep lyrically speaking is this collab effort between Kygo, the Norwegian DJ hitmaker and the L.A. based singer-songwriter Sasha Sloan. This is the second time they’ve worked with each other (see 2017’s “This Town” for the first time.)
Interpret it the way you want, but I feel this song is resonant for those in a long distance relationship or for couples who are temporarily separated either due to work/travel or perhaps a temporary separation because they need some time away from one another to work out their relationship bond in the hopes for a better future together.
You can also take the lyrics from a quarantine aspect like what we’re all experiencing right now. We may be separated from someone we love at what seemingly could be up to 1000+ miles but in the end if we think positive and hold the utmost amount of patience and gratitude in life, those miles are seemingly closer than what a pessimistic person might think.
Download their new song, right here.
“Be A Light” by Thomas Rhett, Reba, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin & Keith Urban
I love when artists come together and unite behind a positive message. In this case, its these country music powerhouses! Thomas Rhett brought Grammy-winning artists Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum, Chris Tomlin & Keith Urban to share the motto of being the light in any dark situation.
A timely tune for days like these or for when we need that pick me up the most when we’re feeling sad for various reasons like bullying in real life or some mean comment by an anonymous troll online, or when we need that motivation to make a difference when we’re feeling stressed when the world has turned upside down due to violent crimes, natural disasters, etc.
They encourage us to shine bright because we’re all unique beings living on this planet for a short finite amount of time. Life goes by like a breeze so we should all enjoy it! We shouldn’t punish ourselves and hide our true selves from others. It’s better to be kind, be open-minded, and share the message of love with our peers.
Download and stream “Be A Light” today! Proceeds from this song will be donated to MusiCares‘ COVID-19 Relief Fund.
“Over Yet” by Hayley Williams
Paramore lead singer, Hayley Williams has released another solo effort which is perfect timing for the current times. She wants us to remain positive when times are tough. When you persist in your fight against the odds, you will emerge further than you were before. And if for some reason the antagonistic force on the other ends tries to bring you down, you don’t let it, you try to reason with it because you are definitely stronger than what you think!
I love and commend her message in this song and is why I’m stoked to hear more from her upcoming debut album project next month.
Overall, her vocals on this track blends well with the retro 80s sounds and the accompanying camcorder style video which pieces together footage of her candids, her unique recording sessions and her fun photoshoots in the video above.
Stream “Over Yet,” right here and look forward to the release of Hayley’s debut solo album, Petals For Armor releasing May 8th!
“Back To Me” by Lindsay Lohan
Actress, singer-songwriter Lindsay Lohan is back!! It’s been twelve years since she last released a song to the world. Now, she’s owning her past mistakes and is ready for her comeback to the music scene! I feel this will be the song that will bring a second and more fruitful wave of success for her career moving forward. This single needs to be added to your playlist because it’s just a positive, motivational, no stress kind of song to listen to. Live for now, move forward and leave the past behind!
This is a great song to play at clubs, parties, and the summer beach-side vacations. But for now, it’ll have to wait as we deal with this pandemic and quarantine life first. So in the meantime, jam to this song at home with yourself or family, or with your friends on video chat apps like Zoom and FaceTime or dance to it on your favorite social media app like Instagram or TikTok.
Get the new song now, right here!
That does it for this week’s picks. Drop a comment down below letting me know what songs you’ll be listening to and if the song isn’t listed here, feel free to share them. Happy listening!
Philip's Music Corner 