Spending the last few weeks of the year (2024) scrambling frantically to fulfil deadlines for our year-end features often means temporarily losing track of some great new music releases that drop during the build-up to the holidays. Fortunately, we save a few of these submissions for a rainy day – or in this case – the first few weeks of a new year when fresh releases lessen to some extent.
For many of us, this passage from one year into the next is a time for setting some personal goals and resolutions – and I’m sure that seeking better days ahead is a popular choice. If you are indeed searching for better days, then you’re in luck – care of this November release from Brockville, ON indie-folk artist Amanda Keeley, whose single “Better Days” proves the perfect candidate for our first 2025 single review here at GDW HQ.
Recorded under the watchful eye of producer Jim Bryson at Fixed Hinge Recording, and mastered by Philip Shaw Bova, this tune touches on the theme of new beginnings – on the experience of finding closure and moving forward in love. “The lyrics touch on the beauty within the contrast of what the experience had to offer,” Amanda recalls. “The words came to me at a time where I needed help processing the loss and letting go of a longtime relationship.”
My first impressions are quickly drawn around the instrumental fade-in reminiscent of Mariel Buckley’s hit “Neon Moon” (Amanda also sharing a little of Buckley’s vocal grit) – and I quickly appreciate how easily Amanda’s sound straddles the folk-pop and all-out Americana divide, offering hints of Kathleen Edwards one moment, and Brandi Carlile the next. Such comparisons are not intended to dismiss Amanda’s own musical abilities, with this emerging artist exuding the confidence of those with a significant number of years’ experience behind them.
At the core of “Better Days,” however, remains the focus of seeking an escape from the painful love-lost ties that bind to move forward with renewed hope and optimism. “It was the lyrics that came to me first … once the foundation for the lyric was established, the melody started to flow,” Amanda adds in closing. “I’m grateful for this song finding its way through me as it helped immensely with closure and moving forward from a place of love.”
Photo Credit: Artist Website
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
