SONG REVIEW: Kings By Day - "Fragile"
“Did a local Illinois band really put a sax solo in their song?! Yes, yes they did and it’s beautiful”
by Jesse Smith
Chicago based alt rock/pop rock band Kings By Day is coming out swinging for the fences in their new single “Fragile”. This being only the quartet’s second release ever, the band has made a huge statement. Uplifting guitars, buttery melodies and their own flare really made this song shine brighter than a lot of bands that are just starting out. When I first heard the song, I was sure that the band has had some time under their belt to discover the sound they have, many bands would go a whole career without making something that is solid yet unique. As you can tell, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed my first couple pass throughs of this track!
Fragile starts with a very upbeat and bright guitar lead melody. This track from the start is a very feel good and happy vibes kind of song which everyone needs in their life in my opinion. As the vocalist starts singing, It reminds me a lot of early Yellowcard which got me thinking. Alt rock and pop rock are like pop punk’s better dressed cousin. Anyone who is a fan of the happier side of pop punk will appreciate this song as much as I did. As the chorus came to an end, the last line “I’m not broken yet, just fragile” really stuck out to me. That was definitely a great one liner that will get stuck in your head. As the song progresses, it doesn’t deviate much from the beginning of the song, until the part. Once you hear this song, you will all know what I mean, The sax. Voted the sexiest instrument in music by me, the saxophone upgrades every song at least 1 whole number. In this case, I never saw it coming and it is the pop rock equivalent to metalcore’s final breakdown. Now, when I listen to this song I patiently wait for the sax solo at the end. This is what I mean about already sounding seasoned as a band, this is a very skilled thing to pull off and the overall songwriting is top notch.
Overall this song rocks and it is definitely on my “feel good” spotify playlist now. No matter the genre, I am a sucker for a good song and songs that have stand alone parts that are just S tier worthy and Kings By Day has both in this track. Again, for it only being their second release gives me high hopes for what the future of this band is. The pressure is on now, and the bar is set, can’t wait to see what comes next!