Casey’s DJ Pick of the Week is “New Day” by Sunny War! The LA-based folk artist released “New Day” as a single off her new album, Anarchist Gospel, releasing on February 3rd. The folk ballad officially came out on January 13th, 2023.
Although Sunny War is not a local band, the woman behind the name (Sydney Ward) is originally a Nashville native. Spending the bulk of her time between Music City and the Detroit area, Ward was able to immerse herself in a variety of music and eventually began creating her own at age thirteen. Inspired heavily by traditional blues and folk music, Ward adopted the performance name Sunny War and relocated to California.
Inspired by AC/DC, Daniel Johnston, and Roky Erickson, Sunny War strives to make music without any traditional audience in mind. She describes “New Day” as the most vulnerable song on the album and the lyrics undoubtedly reflect that. Discussing the power of love, Ward compares love to magic and how it feels as detrimental as it does unpredictable.
The song itself is primarily stripped down, and the first thing listeners hear is Ward’s beautiful vocal melody and simple yet enchanting guitar riff. She describes her lyrics as ‘very emo’ and the evidence is in the hook, “Believing in magic can be tragic, I’m love’s junkie, I’m love’s addict, You’d be too if you ever had it”. This captivatingly catchy ballad is a reflective insight into the feeling of being so in love you’re under a spell.
Keep up with Sunny War via their website here. Be sure to look out for the rest of the album, Anarchist Gospel releasing this Friday! Listen to “New Day” on YouTube below:
Tune in to 100.1 FM and lightning100.com all week to hear “New Day” by Sunny War, Casey’s DJ Pick of the Week. Share your thoughts on the track by tagging #L100DJPicks on Twitter.
