Music

Rett Wicker – “New Year’s Day” – an impressive ability to make his own personal experiences relatable

Written by Staff on 12 January 2022

Rett Wicker is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Jacksonville, FL. He is currently working on his debut album, entitled “Around The Bend”, which is set to release on May 25^th 2022. In the meantime, he has dropped the single “New Year’s Day”, which flaunts his blend of modern Indie rock and vintage folk with a distinctive southern bent. Its authentic, it is raw, but underscored by powerful songwriting sophistication. Wicker exists in an unpretentious universe, and plays in a style that sounds vital, as he strives to compose thought provoking, conscious music, driven by a desire to motivate, and ponder some of life’s biggest mysteries.

The organically driven “New Year’s Day” strikes compelling chords right from when the opening guitar-strums ignite the mid-tempo momentum. Rett Wicker’s cautiously assured guitar playing fills in the nooks and crannies tastefully, while his resonant baritone breathes urgent life into the textures of each line.

“Another year has passed I haven’t dug my habit’s grave. I’ll give it up in twelve more months. When it’s New Year’s Day. And put down all my poisons turn around and walk away. Just walk away. Walk away.”

Achieved with profoundness and precision, Rett Wicker’s thoughtful, personal lyrics ride along, ripe for interpretation and personal resonance. The jangling guitar tones and the straight-on drumming, nudge the song toward the sense of purpose it aspires to. “New Year’s Day” is both melancholic and anthemic, and seems to represent a way forward for Wicker, during a period of intense self-examination.

The song finds the storyteller in a state of soul-searching determination, as he fights the shadows of doubt looming in the background. “Another year has passed I haven’t dug my habit’s grave. I’ll give it up in twelve more months. When it’s New Year’s Day. And put down all my poisons turn around and walk away. Just walk away. Walk away.”

In music, there are songs created to appeal to the masses and there are songs created to capture a moment. “New Year’s Day” is constructed on the core elements, capable of achieving both. On one side, you have the gentle swaying beat and captivating melody meant for mass consumption; on the other, there’s the poetic, artful lyricism aimed at discerning ears.

Rett Wicker reigns in the middle of that realm, where songs are not simply songs, but they are sonic snapshots of life-changing experiences. The sound is somehow gritty and refined, urgent and soulful, all at once. As a songwriter, Wicker has both smarts and perspective. Furthermore, he has a storyteller’s ability to bring a song to life.

For all his skill at writing a lyrically driven song, Rett Wicker is also armed with an engaging voice. Moreover, “New Year’s Day” is a testament to not only Wicker’s profound songwriting skills and vocal prowess, but his ability to pour his heart into his music.

He has an impressive ability to make his own personal experiences relatable, while invoking a strong sense of emotion in his listeners. It’s as if his lyrical transparency allows him to walk confidently towards the future.