There are songs of strength, songs of heartache, songs of loss, and songs of healing, and now, thanks to The Vaughns, there’s a song about being there for a loved one in their time of need.
Stream: “Day By Day” – The Vaughns
I can’t make this go away, and I don’t know the right words to say. I’ll be there for you either way…
My mother passed away from cancer in September 2017.
Next month will mark 6 years, and I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently. The anniversaries are especially tough – I spent the last few months of her life by her side, taking care of her and keeping her as comfortable as I could. Those memories, important as they are, tend to weigh on a soul – and they get heavier at this time of year.
No one really wants to talk about the gradual loss of a loved one – it doesn’t necessarily fall under the umbrella of “pleasant” or “casual” conversation – but there are thousands of people out there just like me, who have seen their partners, family, and friends put through hell from illness and disease. It’s a terrible, yet all-too common aspect of the human experience, and one that we don’t address often enough.
There are songs of strength, songs of heartache, songs of loss, and songs of healing, and now, thanks to The Vaughns, there’s a song about being there for a loved one in their time of need. Achingly intimate and beautifully vulnerable, the gut-wrenching “Day By Day” is a cathartic, soul-stirring reckoning with cancer. It’s a brutally honest, no-holds-barred indie pop reflection on what it feels like to be bear witness to this awful disease as it takes from us the one we love.
I can’t comprehend what you’re dealing with
But I promise that I’ll be here to listen
While you sit silent I overcompensate
Acting silly to keep a smile on your face
I’m a talker, I don’t know
How to act around you so I go
I walk around and I make jokes
But they’re not working, you’re still hurting
I can’t make cancer go away
And I don’t know the right words to say
I’ll be there for you either way
Hey babe, let’s take this day by day
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Day By Day,” the breathtaking third single taken off The Vaughns’ forthcoming sophomore album, Egg Everything (out September 29, 2023 via Equal Vision Records). Following their record’s first two singles “Gizzards” and “Turn Around,” “Day By Day” is a poignant and powerful display of the band’s talents at work.
Currently comprised of Anna Lies and Ryan Kenter together with guitarist Jordan Smith and bassist Brian Hughes, The Vaughns have been delivering a charismatic mix of indie pop and indie rock charm for the better part of the past decade. Based in New Jersey and New York City, their songs never fail to enchant hearts and minds alike – as we wrote in a track premiere for their song, “Coffee Sundae.” five years ago, “Vocalist Anna Lies has a powerfully light voice that melts over our ears in sweet, harrowing emotions.”
“You have to pay attention, listen closer than usual, and really force yourself into the moment to fully appreciate what The Vaughns are doing, and when you get there, the reward is truly worth it.”
In fairness to the band, this time around you don’t have to listen too closely to pick up on what “Day by Day” is about. Few people who are taking things “day by day” are living their very best, and with lines like, “I can’t make cancer go away,” The Vaughns leave little to the imagination – but that’s exactly what a song like this needs: Directness, bluntness, and raw, unfiltered honesty.
“I can’t make cancer go away, and I don’t know the right words to say,” Lies sings in the track’s chorus, her sweet voice a beacon of empathy, tenderness, and longing. “I’ll be there for you either way; hey babe, let’s take this day by day.” There’s reassurance in her words as she injects a gentle glimmer of positivity and unabating dedication into a dark, doom and gloom situation; her performance is, in itself, an anchor to cling to full of life and love, commitment and connection.
How many times
Can they promise the end
While we sit by and wish for the best
It’s way too easy to get stuck on the odds
So what a time to trust in a god
I’m a talker, I make jokes
Sometimes they work right now they don’t
I don’t doubt that we’ll make it through
‘Cause I’d do anything for you; I’d do anything for you
I’ll rub your back and get all the knots
I’ll make you dinner and I’ll scrub the pots
I’ll clean the litter and I’ll fold all the socks
It’s true I’d do anything for you
I’d do anything for you
As expected, this song – based on true events – hits close to home for The Vaughns’ band members.
“Are two sad songs too many for a record, or just enough? My wife’s mom was sick with cancer for two years and she passed away just three weeks before our wedding,” Ryan Kenter tells Atwood Magazine. “There was not a day that Britt could be happy while feeling helpless to make her mom better. I spent each one of those days looking for any little thing that I could do to bring Britt just a single fleeting moment of happiness. The sad truth is that there is nothing that anyone can do besides being there.”
“This one is special,” vocalist Anna Lies adds. “Teared up a few times when tracking it. We really caught some magic on it. It felt a lot like when we made [our song] “Raina.” It was a really intimate song to help with lyrics on. As a friend, I just wanted to help Ryan tell this story as best as we could. Down to the wire we really weren’t sure how it was going to come together. When we brought Jordan and Brian into it, pieces fell into place. It’s a tough one to listen to on repeat, but we definitely captured the meaning and feeling. Great songwriting. Great honesty.”
We can all relate to the notion of taking things day by day – of just trying to get by and go on living.
It hits even harder when you’ve been seen that struggle firsthand – and we call it a struggle, because it is a struggle, and that’s okay. “Day by Day” is a sad, heartrending song, but it addresses and turns the spotlight on an often-neglected group of people in our society who deserve to feel seen. “Day by Day” isn’t a ra-ra, shout-at-the-top-of-your-lungs banger, but it’s a start – and a great one, at that.
Cancer is a b*tch, and it’s high time we had a song that talks about how it affects us, and how we can be there for one another in our times of greatest need. The Vaughns have done something truly human and deeply admirable in bringing “Day by Day” to life. Stream this beautiful song exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stay tuned for more to come from this stunning band as they continue to tease tracks off their forthcoming sophomore album.
Egg Everything is out September 29, 2023 via Equal Vision Records.
I can’t make this go away
And I don’t know the right words to say
I’ll be there for you either way
Hey babe, let’s take this day by day by day
Day by day
I’d do anything for you
I’d do anything for you
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:: connect with The Vaughns here ::
Stream: “Day By Day” – The Vaughns
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