Singer/songwriter Amelia Day has released her second EP in as many years — titled “Little One” — and I sat down with her to talk about her journey as a songwriter and how that impacted the writing on this EP.
While Day is based in Nashville as a student at Vanderbilt University, she was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest in the Seattle area. The Pacific Northwest has produced a wide array of folk legends, and it is no coincidence that the natural beauty of this region contributes to Pacific Northwest-based artists’ sounds. Day is no exception, as she states how important her upbringing has been for her folk leanings.
“I grew up hiking all the time, backpacking with my dad. We would go on camping trips and we were a really outdoorsy family,” Day said. “While I didn’t have a lot of connection to religion or spirituality, I felt that the most with nature. A lot of my early leanings toward music came out of listening to a lot of folk music that focused on those natural elements and embodied the feeling I would get being in nature.”
Day sets that tone immediately on the first song of the EP, “Pause.” Lyrics like “Trees they / Stretch out their limbs to the sky / Sweetened breeze / Pullin’ the leaves to the light / ‘Till they’re ripe” backed by a slow-churning acoustic guitar and atmospheric backing vocal harmonies transport you to the brisk, dewy autumn mornings in the Pacific Northwest.
Throughout “Little One,” Day experiments with a plethora of different genres and writing styles, ranging from head-banging pop-rock and jazz-influxed storytelling to rap-adjacent vocal delivery with lush folk instrumentation. Something Day has taken pride in as an artist is her willingness to venture out into new sounds, which is what makes her discography such a worthwhile listen.
“At first when I was writing this different style of music I was like ‘Oh no, I’m writing stuff that isn’t as tied to my brand.’ But that’s not necessarily the only kind of music that I’m writing now,” Day said. “I kinda had to level with myself and be like, ‘I just wanna put out the songs that I’m most excited about even if they don’t fit with this construction of Amelia Day that I have in my head.’” It’s evident how much fun she had while recording this project.
The biggest jump into new territory can be found in the songs “Woe Is Me” and “Therapist’s Wet Dream.” In these songs, Day can be found delivering her lyrics in a rap-adjacent sense, or as Day eloquently puts it, “a patter.” This is a vocal style not typically found in folk music, but Day incorporates it into her music in a way that makes it uniquely engaging. “Woe Is Me,” which is introduced by a Thundercat-esque bass line, supports Day instrumentally to let her lyrics and vocal delivery shine.
When asked about the intent behind this style of vocal delivery, Day states that it depends on the theme of the song. The incorporation of that style came from a specific place on “Therapist’s Wet Dream,” however. “It’s not the most common technique in folk writing. The theme of the song, kind of like a mental breakdown or panic attack, lent itself to having this stream of words and thoughts in this very long-form fashion,” Day said. “We kept in a lot of those parts where I’m running out of breath a bit and gasping for air, and I actually really wanted that to shine through to embody that ‘running from your own mind’ mentality.”
A personal highlight of mine is the song “Alma Mater,” which finds Day embracing her anthemic side. Densely layered in a coat of pulsating drums, twangy guitar lines and country-tinged vocal melodies, the song slowly builds in volume and intensity. Day screams at the pinnacle “They never win / They never win,” regarding high school sweethearts over and over again until the words are forced to resonate with you.
“Little One” is a passion project that showcases Day’s effortless ability to adventure into new sounds while tying them all back to what makes her music so intriguing. Incorporating endless unique elements into her songs, Day performs every second of this project with a clear sense of joy, making this project a must-listen for music lovers of all genres.
