After writing several reviews on albums by solo artists, I decided to spend this week listening to a musical group’s new release. Sun June, a music group that has been active since 2017, released their second album, Somewhere, on February 5, 2021. Somewhere is an alternative/indie album made up of eleven tracks. The vibe of this album is very chill and somber, with soft but powerful vocals. It definitely fits into the category of albums that are perfect for long drives, studying, and just chilling with friends – always my favorite types of albums.
Each song on this album tells an interesting story, most about the man the singer loves or about the life she fantasizes about. Something I enjoyed about these lyrics were the fact that you have to decode them to really understand what they are about. My three current favorites are “Bad with time,” “Everything I had,” and “Once in a while.”
“Bad with time” is a 3 minute, 14 second song, more on the upbeat side of things compared to the other songs. It is one of the most streamed songs on Somewhere, and the lyrics are poetic, much like the album I reviewed last week, Collapsed in Sunbeams, by Arlo Parks. According to an article written by “Buzzing Daily,” “the band has described the record as a ‘prom record,’ encapsulating the highs and lows of rushing love.” This clearly shows to be true in “Bad with time,” the opening song of the album that was written about the singer’s love for someone special, while also creating a scene of the two riding a motorcycle through the desert together.
Next, “Everything I had” is another top streamed song on Somewhere. “Everything I had” follows the story of a girl wanting to go back in time and take advantage of the things she had when she was younger. She is experiencing the feeling of being trapped in the present and wishing she took advantage of the new opportunities that came her way in the past. It is a song that I think a lot of people, at all ages, could relate to at least in a small way. Whether it’s a trip you wish you took or even a person you wish you fought for, this song and its story may resonate with you. “Everything I had” is also one of the more upbeat songs on the album – but take that with a grain of salt when you listen.
My third favorite song off of Somewhere is “Once in a while.” My first thought when listening to this song was that it seemed like a song that would fit perfectly in a movie – probably a love story by Nicholas Sparks. This song beautifully taps into the genuine love for someone to the point that you feel homesick when they’re not by your side.
After diving deep into Sun June’s unique and captivating sound, I definitely recommend you turn on Somewhere and give each song a try. I am interested to see how different listeners react to the songs and how we all interpret the songs differently. They painted scenes through the lyrics in each track, and I wonder if my imagination is the same as anyone else’s!
Kate Brooks
Picture Credit comes from: https://runforcoverrecords.limitedrun.com/products/680807
