Album Review: James Bay “Changes All The Time”

By Ella Mastroianni, Blog Assistant

Artist: James Bay

Album: Changes All The Time 

Favorite Songs: “Easy Distraction,” “Dogfight,” and “Hopeless Heart”

For Fans Of: Noah Kahan, Niall Horan, and Hozier 

The hat. The hair. The voice (Mostly the voice.) James Bay, the 34-year-old musician from the UK is no stranger to creating auditory masterpieces, such as globally appreciated songs such as “Let it Go,” “Us,” and “Need The Sun To Break.” Chances are, you’ve heard or will hear him on the radio at some point in your life, as he’s been feeding folk, rock, pop, and indie listeners equally well for over ten years now. Maybe you were even one of the lucky people who saw him open for Noah Kahan’s Fenway shows this past July. Regardless, he is the kind of artist that isn’t easily forgotten—Bay’s voice once heard, is one that is remembered. 

On October 4th, James Bay gave the world his fourth album, Changes All The Time, one which encapsulates, well, a lot of change and a lot of time. It is introspective, diverse in sound, and full of life. Changes All The Time is the kind of album that can be felt across generations, so you may find it appropriate to share the album with every single person you know. 

Folk’s Best Will Keep You Up All Night

Bay decided to begin this album with a song that replicates the effect of seeing a movie with a star-studded cast. “Up All Night” has folk’s very best, as Noah Kahan and ​The Lumineers join in for this monumental opener. It kicks off by lyrically depicting anxious thoughts, but in a way so incredibly energetic, that the anxious thoughts kind of get left in the dust (“the dust” being soulful voices in this scenario). As the first of 11 songs, it hooks listeners with voices that feel like they were always meant to exist together. 

Following that is “Everburn,” the perfect successor to Bay’s 2014 love song “If You Ever Want To Be In Love.” “You and me will everburn,” is the throughline of this full-of-heart song, and it’s classic James Bay. After is “Hope,” another song that is his bread and butter (so much so that there are two songs on the album with the word “hope” in it). Where “Everburn” is about someone else, “Hope,” looks inward and doesn’t shy away from being truthful. In the first verse, Bay sings “I'm somebody who gets it wrong/ Who never stays long/ Who never says bye/ Sometimes you gotta go it alone/ Have a little hope.” In these lines and for the whole song, he acknowledges personal shortcomings, but comes back to hope, all despite. 

The fourth track was the first single released back in August, and I think it's safe to say I’ve become well acquainted with it. “Easy Distraction” has everything to love in a James Bay song. The chorus never gets old no matter how many times it’s listened to: “Pull up at my place, knock on my door/ I'll say, ‘I'm sorry,’ you'll say, ‘What for?’” The dialogue component sets listeners up for a narrative, and Bay’s performance, with the longing in his vocals, brings this story to life. “Easy Distraction” was also written alongside Brandon Flowers, who fronts the rock band The Killers. As a fan of both Bay and The Killers… it makes complete sense why a song crafted by both of them would “jump off the page” so to speak. 

“Hold Back The River” (Of Tears)

Changes All The Time has many songs that can and will pull emotion out of listeners, but there are two in particular that stick out the most—two songs that touch upon the theme of loss. “Go On” was written about losing a family member and it begins as a quiet, more subdued song, with minimal instrumentation accompanying the vocals. The chorus expresses, “You were always/ Light on dark days/ Don't go quiet now.” In many ways, the instrumentals later in the song respond to this plea: “Don’t go quiet now.” While it may begin softly, it doesn’t remain that way. As the song progresses, elements such as drums, backing vocals, and (much more) guitar are added. This song is beautiful because of its content, but it is unforgettable because of how the words and the music speak to each other. 

“Dogfight,” the final song on the album, also has something to say about loss, but in a much different way. At almost six minutes long, it is a closing song with bite, desperately fighting against the loss of self. Bay describes this song as “looking in the mirror,” and listeners can use this song as a mirror too, which is beyond impactful. “I'm not losing me,” is the mantra, and it slowly but surely grows to “It's gonna be alright.” Bay’s voice builds in intensity, and he wails, “I don’t know how,” in between telling himself that it’s alright, essentially depicting the human experience in a song. It works exquisitely as the closing of the album.