BY ABBY ROSE NOTARNICOLA//
Spacey Jane continues to get the recognition that they deserve. Nearly a month after the highly anticipated release, the group’s latest album rose to the top of the Aria charts. Here Comes Everybody has become the record label’s #1 album, #1 Australian album and #1 selling vinyl. This tremendous feat garnered a lot of firsts; Spacey Jane produced their first #1 album, first top ten Single, first platinum single, first golden album and their first Aria award. Clearly, Here Comes Everybody delivered on a record breaking front, solidifying the group’s talent, growing popularity and the projection of their career—up!
Much of the band’s success can be attributed to their style of music. Spacey Jane discovered their sound, and didn’t stray from it while producing Here Comes Everybody. Specifically, the album retains the qualities that fans love from their first album, Sunlight; lead singer Caleb Harper’s raspy, yearning vocals are the focal point of each song, supported by soft guitar riffs and steady beats. These characteristics create Spacey Jane’s classic indie-pop brand, retaining an airy feel that makes their music so popular.
What’s most impressive, however, are the band’s thoughtful lyrics. Each song has a clear theme, articulating complex feelings in shockingly relatable ways. As a young person experiencing a world of difficult times, Here Comes Everybody provides much needed emotional support. Though topics focus on mental health struggles, the sentiments are backed by music that’s uplifting rather than self-pitying. A hopeful undertone hums throughout the entire album. Personally, listening to Here Comes Everybody has become a means of therapy, and this quality is undoubtedly what makes Spacey Jane’s music resonate with so many fans.
While every song in Here Comes Everybody is as strong as the rest, here are some examples of the band’s lyrical prowess from my personal favorites in the order that they appear on the album.
“Clean My Car”//
In an article from Atwood Magazine, Harper explains that, “Clean My Car,” “is about filling your time with distractions instead of dealing with the root of the sadness (breakup etc.).” While the imagery is romantic relationship specific, the sentiments expressed in the song are universal. The lyrics, “I clean my car/ I make my bed/I do the things I know to calm my head,” are a perfect example. The tendency to keep “busy” while going through it serves as a distraction, but not a fix. It feels easier to self-soothe with mindless tasks, but tidy-ing up a bedroom doesn’t translate into decluttering a jumbled mind. “Clean My Car” presents a raw sense of self-awareness—that confronting one’s emotions is the first step in the healing process.
“Haircut”//
The theme of “Haircut” is one prevalent in a coming of age story. For the chorus, Caleb sings, “Ooh, I got a haircut, a shitty attempt at a change-up, a face lift/ But it doesn’t work like the movies, I found out/ My head is a vacuum of feelings and failures/ The white noise calling my name.” Just like “Clean My Car”, the lyrics reveal the ways that people try to cope, and haircut is a classic example; it’s an illusion that changing how you look will change how you feel. In “Haircut”, Caleb reveals that his superficial attempt to bolster his self-esteem and regain a positive self-image led to his disappointment. Though these lyrics express desperation, they also serve as a revelation that Harper needs to work on his inner-self if he wants to feel better.
“Yet”//
“Yet” expresses a self-destructive tendency when trying to deal with difficult times. In the song, Harper shares his desire to confide in his friends, but also his fears of burdening them with his struggles: “Please pick up,/ I’m dying to tell someone/No one’s heard me crying for so long/ That’s okay, my problems are not for them/And if you feel the same way, I understand.” As a listener, it’s frustrating that Harper won’t lean on the people who love him. He’s hurting, and by shutting his friends out, it’s making himself feel worse. Upon realizing this, he sings, “I’m gonna tell my friends how I’m feeling/Let ’em know I’m sad when I see them.” This message is really powerful, and can help people who are struggling realize the importance of talking to someone—whether it’s a friend, family member or trained professional.
“Pulling Through”//
“Pulling Through” is the last song of the album and perfectly summarizes the overarching message of the album. Specifically, the song expresses condolences to a friend of Harper’s who lost someone, but also delivers a mindset on how to persevere in the face of tragedy. The lines “And if it feels like failure then it’s probably good for you/Oh if it tears your heart out then you’re probably pulling through,” act as sage advice, offering a positive spin on a bad situation and reminding one of their strength. “Pulling Through” offers a hopeful and empowering message, and a mantra that listeners can employ in the face of difficult situations. Personally, these are my favorite lyrics from the album, and I can’t praise Spacey Jane enough for sharing this valuable perspective.
Here Comes Everybody is a thoughtful record, filled with meaningful messages and well constructed songs. Spacey Jane doesn’t just create music true to themselves, but genuinely strives to make an impact on their listeners. The significance of their lyrics doesn’t go unnoticed, and as long as they retain this quality, they will continue to break records.