Kodaline - One Day at a Time

by Zena Grieg

published: 9 / 8 / 2020

Label: B-Unique
Format: CD

Minimalist and balladic fourth album from bestselling folk-influenced Irish rock band Kodaline

Review

After three UK Top 20 albums, the Irish rock band Kodaline are back with their fourth - ‘One Day at a Time.’ Self-produced in Dublin by bassist Jason Boland, this 10-track collection, their shortest to date, features harmonious ballads about belonging, love and not taking life for granted. The album has a stripped-back, more minimalist style than previous records, but still incorporates their trademark folk nuances, insistent melodies, stirring choruses and lead singer Steve Garrigan’s emotional vocals. Tracks to look out for are the singles:- the melodic opener ‘Wherever You Are’, a song written by Garrigan about his girlfriend and the difficulties of being in a long distance relationship while touring; the second single released from the album, the folksy ‘Sometime’, its catchy chorus with a cheerful mandolin sound contrasting with its theme of anxiety; ‘Saving Grace’, a love song, about sticking together through tough times; the Celtic acoustic ‘The Evening’, about missing someone no longer alive, simultaneously ebullient and melancholic, ending abruptly with the lyrics: “I wish you could be here”; also, ‘Spend It With You’ about facing the apocalypse together; and the final track ‘In the End’, bringing closure with a note of optimism to an album deeply imprinted with emotion – “In the end when all is said and done/In the end we learn to overcome/In the end we’ll sing our final song/We forgive, we forget and move on.” From a band who have experimented with different genres and production styles, this album consolidates Kodaline’s winning formula, continuing the appeal the band has for its growing loyal fans.