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Oct 09, 2020 Stephen Day By Caleb Campbell

Nashville singer / songwriter Stephen Day is releasing two new cuts from his forthcoming EP Original Songs And Sound, out November 20th. Fresh off of his debut album, 2019’s Guess I’m Grown Now, the immediate plan for Day was to tour for the album. COVID-19 obviously flipped those plans on their head, as Day joined the hundreds of artists cancelling tours in response to the pandemic. Fortunately, he responded by writing and recording his newest EP under quarantine. “When It Was Always You” and “Bleeding Out Loud,” his newest tracks premiering with Under The Radar, leverage the quarantine recording for a gentle and sincere bedroom pop turn.

Unlike previous single, “Every Way (Supernatural),” which bloomed from a luscious synth pop backing to a jazzy electric guitar solo, Day’s newest tracks are muted approaches to Day’s intimate songwriting. “When It Was Always You” takes heartbroken longing and turns it into melodic bliss. The chiming guitar chords and twinkling electric guitar give the track a sunny, nostalgic tone, while Day delivers a lovelorn falsetto vocal. The effect recalls Andy Shauf’s latest album in its ability to capture a romanticized past love. Lyrically, Day explores his lost love, yearning over voice memos and framed photos, moving and getting a dog to move past the memories. He ultimately insists, “I don’t wanna go out now and find someone new / When it was always you / Always you.”

The following track, “Bleeding Out Loud” is the more slow burning hushed counterpart to “When It Was Always You.” The washed out bed of synths pans between channels as solitary guitar notes add hints of color amidst Day’s heartbroken grays. It is a subdued piece of bedroom pop, relying on the emotive tones of Day’s voice to carry the track. With a spotlit vocal Day’s lyrics shine all the more as he vents his cries of bitter sadness — “And I know / It’s a dream / It’s been years now since the real thing / But at night / When I’m weak / My mind can run in make believe.”

Day says of the tracks, “These two songs are the heartbreak of this project. Sonically and lyrically, they’re supposed to feel like specific moments in time. “When It Was Always You” is the longing and romanticizing of the past, remembering it in a more perfect light. “Bleeding Out Loud” is the more immediate result of the breakup, the initial cut that feels inescapable.” Listen to the tracks along with “Every Way (Supernatural)” below.