Rising star Mia Day embraces her roots on sophomore album ‘Hellier, Forever,’ each song a nod to the grunge scene born out of Seattle in the ‘90s.
Stream: ‘Hellier, Forever’ – Mia Day
When spoken aloud, the title Hellier, Forever sounds like 365 days of torture, and in a very real way, that is exactly what Seattle native Mia Day experienced while writing her sophomore record.
Amidst an exciting year of performing at Capitol Hill Block Party, having her music played on KEXP, and finishing up her senior year of college, Day was simultaneously recovering from the most emotionally taxing year of her life.
While mourning the end of a long-term relationship and witnessing the foundation of her family unit crumble, Day grasped on to the one thing that kept her afloat: Music.

Day has the gift of storytelling, and it shines through on Hellier, Forever (independently released May 17, 2024). Effortlessly, she captures the subtle, unspoken moments that often break our hearts the loudest – those moments when your partner can no longer look you in the eye, when every joke you tell seems to land right above their head, when you’re watching them slowly fade away while doing everything in your power to hold on to them. Inspired by a paranormal docu-series Day and her then-partner watched together, Hellier, Forever sinks its teeth into the heavier, hard-to-talk-about parts of a relationship and the ways in which it forever changes you.
Setting the bittersweet tone of the record, the album opener “Feel It Still” is a fearless admission of love for someone who Day knows is slipping away. It is an acknowledgment of the joy that that person has brought to her life, and an acceptance of their time together coming to an end.
“It’s that time, you have to go
I know this part like a familiar road
I want you to be happier,
Even though I know I’m happy with you
Forever with you, doing nothing”
– “Feel It Still,” Mia Day

The lyrics portray an intense yet selfless kind of love in which Day is able to step outside herself to make room for both her and her loved one’s feelings. Being selfless in a relationship hurts like hell – it’s not an easy thing to do – and she doesn’t shy away from the pain of doing it.
Though heartbreak is the ribbon seamlessly tying the album together, Hellier highlights other aspects of Day’s life as well. Much of the record entails the journey of a woman rebuilding herself after watching her world fall apart. “Marigold,” the first single off the album, is an infectiously hopeful rock anthem. It is a reminder to slow down for a moment, to take your eyes off the winding clock, and celebrate how far you’ve come:
“I can feel it down below,
Something deep has got a hold,
Taking root in places where
I thought nothing could ever grow
Rising with the morning sun,
like a river on the run
Turning deserts into canyons,
learning how to love
I’m a marigold
Though I might be old,
I’ve still got time to be young”
– “Marigold,” Mia Day

There’s no cure for being young, though it doesn’t have to be a problem to fix.
To be young is to be an open-hearted student of life with a twinkle in your eye. It is a state of mind; it’s something everyone has been and can learn to be again, even when the world threatens to take it away.
We can’t talk about Hellier without mentioning one song in particular: “Severed,” the song that brings the album to its crescendo. If Day hasn’t already captured your attention, it’s a guarantee you’ll be hooked after hearing this head-banger. The song is explosive, instantly packing a punch with its hearty drums and layered electric guitars.
By channeling all of her hurt, frustration, and grief into one space, Day and her band create a compelling piece of music that is as addictive as it is vulnerable. In “Severed,” Day takes back control of the narrative, finding power in her voice in a way she never has before.
“For the first time in a long time
I fell asleep
Without waking up in a sweat
from seeing you in a dream
If I saw you at a party,
I think I’d have to leave
But you gotta start somewhere
and I’m not embarrassed”
– “Severed,” Mia Day
To end the song, Day lets out a visceral, toe-curling scream. It comes out like a stifled cry that she’s been holding in for years. It is female rage at its most unapologetic, and it is wildly refreshing.

Mia Day is an undeniable force.
She is living proof that there is strength to be found within the depths of heartbreak. Even in the darkest, unsuspecting parts of ourselves, one can land on a goldmine.
Perhaps, as Day shows us, it just takes some digging and venturing into the places that scare us most to find it.
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“Hellier, Forever” – Mia Day
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© Delilah Lovejoy, Eli Lue
Hellier, Forever
an album by Mia Day