We all know Nick is working on an album.
Really he’s been chugging along with a ton of songs since 2020. I know that album has to have changed shape multiple times. Definitely since his album listening party in 2021. We don’t know yet which songs have been completely dismissed from the running (besides Girl I Knew which Nick did confirm last year at a VIP during the tour), but what we do know is Nick seems pretty torn on what to include. We’ve gotten a lot of previews so far. We’ve gotten multiple single releases. But, in the end, where is Nick’s mind in all this? I have some thoughts, some theories. I’ll update you if they get confirmed after I attend one of his Listening Parties next month. Mainly because he wants our opinions on it so far. He’s said he’s hoping that after hearing our thoughts, it’ll help him decide what to include and what not to include.
It’s been a hell of a ride so far with his last few singles. I’m not sure if those are just one offs not meant to be on the album. I’m selfishly hoping not since we have them in our hot little hands already. As a way to judge though, I feel like they’ve been telling different sides to a story.
At least if you’ve been paying close attention.
Nick’s also given us a lot of song previews – but he released all but three so far as singles. I’m going to link them here, with my thoughts based on what snippets he gave us. Because each song is drastically different from the other. It’s kind of wild but at the same time, it’s very, very Nick. He’s a man of all genres and his musical diversity is one of my favorite things about him. I mean, it’s part of who he is, cheesy as I know that is.
Let’s start with the most obvious one.
The Cover of “Dirty Laundry”
Now, it’s a cover so some would argue it’s the least personal of the songs we’re about to talk about. I’d argue differently. Most of us have gotten very familiar with this Don Henley by this point since Nick’s been performing it consistently throughout each leg of his Who I Am tour. But if you’re not, please. Look up the lyrics really fast on Google. Don’t worry, I’ll wait. Actually, forget it, I’ll link them here. Think about everything that’s happened since the end of 2022.
Yup. It’s a pretty damn fitting cover. Maybe it wasn’t written by Nick but hell, it still hits home. Because the media gets nasty. People don’t take the time to really look at things. They just take things at surface value which is always a bad idea, and run with it. So yeah, this hits home. Not to mention, Nick’s spin and vocals? Sign me up.
Now, he posted a video where he’s very clearly singing “kick ’em when they’re up, kick ’em when they’re down” even though it’s muted. Odds are high we’ll get this as a single. But technically we haven’t yet, so, I need to include it. Plus I’m hoping by some miracle Nick not only sees this, but reads it. Because I need this out yesterday. Last week. Don’t give me “soon”, give us “now”, please? I say this with love.
Moving on…
“Phantoms”
This one still gives me chills. Period. As I’ve said in multiple posts that Nick’s been getting more personal in songs, this one stands out the most. Lyrically, it feels like Nick’s exposed. Musically naked. Not just in the lyrics we’re getting a chance to hear so far though, but in the vocals themselves. I mean Nick has always kept a bit of a distance vocally from his solo music while still showing a different side of himself genre wise. That has been taking a shift since 2022, but, this is going further than his last three song releases.
I think we can all acknowledge he’s been through a lot in the past few years. But this has the potential to be a powerful ballad unlike any we’ve seen from him since “Falling Down”. This has a similar rawness to it like “Hurts To Love You”. I consider that song an exception from the rule cause that song was a tribute, and not planned like the rest of the 2023 releases. The fact that this one strikes a similar chord says a lot, at least to me. I think this one is a gem. I love upbeat songs and mid-tempos from him, I do. Still, there is something to the way his vocals and emotions reveal themselves on a song like this.
You don’t forget songs that grab at you and your emotions.
Hearing him sing ‘You don’t wanna be wanna be me’ breaks my heart in the worst way. It shook me. I think it caught the attention of a lot of fans. These lyrics tell the story of someone who feels like they can’t escape the past, can’t escape the demons he thought he beat, you know? I only have a minute to judge off of, but this feels like it’s Nick saying what he needs to say in a song. Like a therapy session, so to speak? Where you just say those intrusive thoughts and while better for it, you also leave with that terrified feeling of having no secrets anymore.
Lastly we have…
Nothing Without Your Love
This is unique in the sense that he’s posted it twice, once back in March and then again a couple days ago which is why the post started nagging on my brain. So thanks Nick? He’s made changes between the two posts, subtle but they’re definitely there. To me that seems like a sign he’s having a harder time deciding how he feels about this one. I can see why he’s debating though, and I even said so on the original Instagram. The beginning, which we don’t hear in the Twitter clip, does start off a little slow.
That said, when it picks up, it gets pretty catchy. It reminds me a lot of All American and the beach rock vibe that album had. Lyrically, it’s not as deep as “Phantoms” or even telling us what he wants to say like the “Dirty Laundry” cover. This goes back to Nick’s history of doing fun pop/rock love songs. I’m not going to lie and say I’m not a sucker for those. And again, this is totally being based off a clip so there might be more depth to the song that I’m missing. That’s not a bad thing, either. Not ever song has to be deep. Hell, I’ve preached that from the mountain tops for years. It’s more that after the releases of “Hurts To Love You”, “Superman”, then “Made For Us” and even “Never Break My Heart (Not Again)”, it makes “Nothing Without Your Love” feel like an outlier.
What’s more interesting to me, is that we know there’s more songs in the oven. Nick’s been cooking and back in the studio on practically every break he’s had in the midst of BSB stuff, or even his own tour. His breaks haven’t been full breaks in a minute. He’s admitted in recent interviews he’s been making so many songs that this is why he can’t choose now. Like I said at the beginning of this post, he wants to use the Listening Parties to try and get some outside opinions. I hope people are honest in their rankings too. That’s what Nick will be looking for.
And who knows what we’ll hear from those?
Probably songs we haven’t heard yet, which will make our heads explode. With joy, obviously. Because who doesn’t like hearing new music? I know for me, it’s really something I fixate on. What can I say, I’m fascinated by the process. Knowing Nick is just putting so much of himself into it, has a lot of us very impatient. I know. Still…As the listening parties come and go, we need to keep an eye out on what he’s previewing. If you have the chance to go? Go! You may hear songs and performances he’ll never do again.
“For me, I am working towards the masterpiece of an album I believe in, and that I want to put out there to be the representation of me and where I am in my life, and the things that I’ve gone through. So, I am still working on that,” he acknowledged.
If that quote is anything to judge what’s to come by, I feel this album will be nothing like anything we’ve seen from Nick as a solo artist. That should have all of us beyond excited for what’s to come.
Share your thoughts on these three songs in the comments!
Forever Rebel 