Brooklyn-based Sedona‘s “Drifting Days” is out via Flexible/Terrible Records.
There’s a strange feeling of change in the air. Kids are heading back to their classrooms, vaccines are being rolled out, and the sun is spending more time in the sky. People are making plans again—to see family, to move, to change careers. Spring is officially here; the best part before the weather threatens to careen headfirst into the sweltering summer. And if ever there were a song meant for this exact moment, it’s Sedona‘s latest single, the superb “Drifting Days”.
We’ve been crushing on Brooklyn-based Sedona for a minute now, but our interview celebrating the release of her dreamy Rearview Angel EP last fall pushed us over into superfan territory. Seemingly never resting, Sedona returned in February with the psych-disco-lite of “Cupid’s Victim”, and again last month with “Drifting Days”, both tracks adding to the mounting evidence that every new Sedona release is something to celebrate. So today we urge you to check out that latter track’s new Gabi Rudin-directed music video, which premiered a couple weeks ago but continues to earworm its way into our ongoing journey through today’s massive indie popscape.
And with good reason: “Drifting Days” is prime Sedona, unwilling to sound like anything other than herself, and yet refusing to simply offer more of the same. It’s understated, catchy-as-hell, expertly arranged, and perfectly performed—everything Sedona does best. This newest 80s-infused bedroom-bop starts small with a couple keyboards, a simple drum machine, and Sedona‘s signature, subtly expressive vocals shifting emotion almost as often as her visual persona (e.g., the desperation of “Even when it’s getting late,” the bratty flirtatiousness of the harmonized “She’s got you in her pocket,” the slight pout of “To show me where my heart was bruised”). The band continues to build the song with a symphony of swirling synths, endless hooks, and precisely placed moments of ear candy—it’s nearly impossible to curb the euphoria that comes with that brief, melodic bass hook that hits 45 seconds in, or those staccato bass chirps at 1:40.
The video provides a lovely visual accompaniment, alternating between presenting Sedona as a) a Rosie the Riveter type seducing the camera, b) an 80s rocker dancing with her band, and c) a girl-next-door biking through the woods. Slow-motion video footage matches the song’s nostalgic dream-state, especially images of an undulating parachute and bicycle handlebar ribbons flowing in the breeze. Specifically, check out the 30-second head-in-the-clouds breakdown at 2:36 with reverbed vocals floating upon a sparkling bed of layered instruments—it would be perfectly acceptable if this section soundtracked our entrance into the pearly gates of heaven.
Speaking about the new single, Sedona muses:
“They say life happens while you’re busy making other plans, and that certainly rings true to how the world has felt this past year. The pandemic put a pause on everyone’s plans in ways many weren’t prepared to face. ‘Drifting Days’ is a song that aims to soothe listeners into accepting things out of their control, standing tall in the face of adversity, and learning how to make the most of moments even when they don’t turn out how we expect them to.”
It’s the perfect song for right now, to describe the intangible, often-conflicting feelings we continue to experience, and to help guide us as we begin to anticipate and ultimately navigate the next few months. Hopefully these upcoming months will give us more Sedona music to celebrate, songs that will undoubtedly show her to be one of today’s most gifted songwriters, interpreted by one of today’s most exciting bands.
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