Powered by strums of electric guitar and hint of whimsicality in the vocals, Party Nails’ new single “Same Old Song” is like pondering our identity in the solitude of our bedroom.
Stream: “Party Nails” – Same Old Song
Do you ever feel like you see glances of yourself in between the trees, perhaps as flashbacks when in a nostalgic place?
It’s easy to create a distance between the present you and a former self, envisioning the memories as though interacting with another person. We can lose sense of reality a bit, the understanding of who we are becoming blurred. But this divide can also cause a reconnection, as we realize that we’re not not so different. As a result, we become stronger, more relaxed, and less persistent with our questioning.
You keep me from moving on
You’re keeping me singing my
Same old song
I don’t wanna go back there
Don’t know why I can’t just
Leave you alone
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Same Old Song,” the new single from Party Nails (released September 13) and the first to be taken from the artist’s third album due out next year. Powered by strums of electric guitar and hint of whimsicality in the vocals, the approach of “Same Old Song” is lo-fi and nostalgic, like pondering our identity in the solitude of our bedroom.
“For a while, I called this ‘Through the Trees,’ because that image of looking through the trees for my childhood self was the impetus for writing the song. I could feel the feeling I was trying to write down the whole time, and the only way to stop living in the feeling was to write it down, accurately,” Party Nails explains in regards to the song’s origins.
“This was a period of lockdown where my psyche was interacting with my idea of ‘home’ a lot. As I chipped away at what was then called ‘Through the Trees,’ it became clearer and clearer that I was talking to my younger self. I wasn’t angry with her, or sad with her, or warning her of anything. I was just documenting our co-existence.”
The song starts with an easy-going rhythm hinted with nostalgia. When the chorus kicks in, we can sense the yearning, which in this case is a yearning for a clear identity and the acknowledgement of how our former selves remain with us.
“I had the lines “I’ve been drinking, I’ve been thinking, I’ve been crying, I’ve been dreaming, I’ve been fiending, I’m so tired” in a songwriting notebook for a long time, waiting for a home,” recounts Party Nails. “They were the perfect post-chorus. Anna Crane plays drums on it, which really elevates the energy for me.”
I’ve been drinking
I’ve been thinking
I’ve been crying
I’ve been dreaming
I’ve been fiending
I’m so tired
Party Nails is the project of New York-based songwriter, producer and artist Elana Carroll. Surrounded by music from a young age, through playing shows, developing her solo project, collaborating with other artists, and growing a knowledge in music technology, Carroll has likely done a lot of exploring and experimenting in regard to her identity. As a producer, bringing to life the music of other artists, she’s developed a self-assuredness that comes from making a name in a male-dominated sector of the industry.
“Same Old Song,” however, shows that behind the vast creativity and head-strong attitude, feelings of confusion and doubt can still lurk. ‘Maybe at night I’ll understand something new/ Sometimes the stars, they know me/ I turn on the radio and off my headlights/ I look to the dark and look for something/ But I don’t know what’ she sings slowly before the build-up of the second chorus, as though gazing out of the window at the stars.
Taken from Party Nails’ third album, Pillow Talk (due out next year), “Same Old Song” introduces another side to the artist’s music that’s more stripped-back and guitar-lead. Given that she started jamming on her guitar and playing in front of audiences as a young teen, and the song looks back to origins and the relationship with ourselves, the ambiance is appropriate.
Stream “Same Old Song” exclusively on Atwood Magazine!
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Stream: “Party Nails” – Same Old Song
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