The Nashville-based solo act has returned with a third album, this time centered around a poignant “thought experiment.”
Tremaine describes his artistic persona as a “[o]ne-man-band emo rocker with a post-hardcore sense of instrumentation and an old-fashioned pop sense for melody and harmony.” His ever-growing body of work spans multiple genres and tones, which is immensely clear in his latest release: Accidental Days.
Listeners are presented with a concept album, with each song interconnecting through a central inquiry posed by Tremaine. “Imagine a way of life,” he explains, “where the art you enjoy and the manner by which you enjoy it is deeply personal and relational.” Accidental Days outlines a way of life where we don’t just mindlessly consume the things we enjoy, but ponder them and improve our lives with them. To view art as not merely a product, but as a means to carry on and prosper in the short time we have on Earth.
Tremaine’s own realizations were the driving force for the album’s creation, such as the simple power of “[i]nstead of driving to the movie theater on a Friday night to see the latest big-studio blockbuster, you ride you bike to the community center to see a local theater troupe perform a play.” Finding meaning through the community formed by the establishment of art is the centerpiece of Accidental Days’ narrative.
Described as a “10-track pilgrimage” that provides fans a behind-the-scenes look at Tremaine’s mind and the way he crafts songs, it also intends to examine the “complex intersections between faith, friendship, work, heartbreak and getting older.” This focus is especially apparent in the opening track “One Day.” Words like “The week on my shoulders / The month on my back / The year by my ankles” speak on the physically and mentally taxing nature of aging. “All these accidental days / Spent trying to make sense of each plight,” lament the time wasted on frivolous worries in a life that doesn’t go on forever.”
Other highlights include “Tired Side of Content,” which reflects on the difficulty of keeping one’s religious faith amidst a constantly mortifying world. The song is still hopeful, however, as Tremaine vows to “Pass on the comfort I received in Christ / To see my need for his sacrifice / It’s my turn to give it to others / As we become sisters and brothers.” Amidst the yearning, honest love songs sprinkled on the record, Tremaine takes on the often glum working world in “Gloriously Mundane.” “It takes different kinds of glories / To tell our full stories,” he sings, “The special and repetitive / The debts we earn, rewards we give / Don’t die for your wages just to live.” Here, Tremaine advocates for living a full life, not one completely inundated by professional responsibilities and corporate sterility.
While varied in the topics and moods it presents, Accidental Days is a sonically cohesive, thought-provoking look at the world and what we can do to make it just a little bit better. Accidental Days is available now on major streaming platforms like YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp.
Cameron Landry is a former journalism student at The George Washington University, and a current writer for Alchemical Records. He’s shared a passion for music journalism for several years, and focused much of his reporting as an undergraduate on how independent music venues have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Based in Washington, DC, Cameron can often be found at local concerts (and record stores!) in the district.
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