The latest single from Ceci Day, "Beat," is a journey from darkness to light, an acoustic song-driven folk rock that's both intimate and expansive. The track was recorded live at Decoy Studios and leans on the untamed power of full band instrumentation, allowing each strum, drum hit, and vocal bend to shine.
"Beat" beckons listeners into a sonorous world of warmth. Day's sings softly, but with forceful conviction. The song's framing echoes its theme, beginning in contemplative quiet, it rises to an uplifting, relief release that sums up the sensation of walking and listening into rebirth. The lyrical emphasis on moving from the dark into the light is profound, providing a feeling of hope that does not come across as superficial. Day has an uncommon authenticity in how she treats her work. The dynamics of the musicians have been captured in a live recording, subtle mistakes serve as texture and emotional depth that's often smoothed away on a polished studio track, and the immediate extensions of self with which we are familiar, every lyrical one-liner or chord run knit to one's inner lines.
Fans of Brandi Carlile, First Aid Kit, and Fleetwood Mac will feel very much at home in Day's sound, melding acoustic intimacy with rock-tinged crescendos. "Beat" belongs on mellowing-out playlists as much as it does morning motivation squeezes, indie-folk discoveries out of the blue, and whatever the stir-over-emotion crowd craves.
In a world of overproduced perfection, "Beat" is refreshingly warm and uplifting. Ceci Day has penned a song that inspires us to believe in change and the beauty of its gradual evolution. On the last note, you're not simply listening to a song, you feel it.