All Songs Considered: U2 meets the moment, Lana Del Rey goes 'True Detective,' James Blake croons

Summary

NPR Music – All Songs Considered (Feb 24, 2026)

Episode Theme: New Songs, Surprising Comebacks, and Artists Meeting the Moment
Hosts: Robin Hilton (B), Sheldon Pierce (C)
Featured Artists: U2, Arlo Parks, Lana Del Rey, Baby Rose (feat. Leon Thomas), James Blake, Bella K

---

Main Theme and Purpose

This episode of All Songs Considered is a fervent round-up of the week’s most compelling new releases, spotlighting both iconic artists returning to form and emerging voices pushing boundaries. The hosts dissect what makes these tracks resonate right now—from urgent protest anthems to raw, introspective pop—making the selections feel like essential additions to any playlist.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. U2’s “Days of Ash” EP – Meeting the Cultural Moment

[02:28–10:38]

• Surprise Return: U2 unexpectedly drops their first new music in nearly a decade: Days of Ash.

• Featured Song: “American Obituary” kicks off the EP, serving as a blistering, politically charged anthem.

• Themes: The song addresses contemporary issues such as immigration and violence, delivering both critique and a call to action.

  “If ever there was a band that literally has nothing left to prove, yeah, it’s U2. And they come back with this just blistering critique on everything that’s been happening around immigration. So much more. And it is just such a fist in the air, rallying cry and a celebration of love, like fighting with love.” — Robin ([07:31])

• Reasons It Resonates: Both hosts praise the band’s ability to write direct, anthemic songs that cut through to broad, unifying emotions—parallels are drawn to the language and energy of protest chants.

  “If anything has rallied them back to, like, peak U2, it would be the desire to meet a moment like this with something as anthemic and rallying as this.” — Sheldon ([08:06])

• Album News: U2 are reportedly working on a full-length album centered on “defiant joy.”

---

2. Arlo Parks – “Heaven” (from Ambiguous Desire)

[10:38–17:51]

• Artistic Shift: Arlo Parks explores new club-focused, rhythmic territory, building on her previous indie-folk-pop sound.

• Single Review: “Heaven” finds the sweet spot between Parks’ earlier vintage soul and her new nightlife sensibilities.

  “It is so, so groovy. You feel it in your chest and it’s like, that’s not a sensation that you would have previously expected out of an Arlo Park song.” — Sheldon ([16:11])

• Lyrical Imagery: The hosts highlight the evocative visuals: “Diet Coke, kitten heels, Concrete washing with metallic green bodies in the sun.”

  “When that came out, I thought, ‘Oh, what are you doing here?’ ... She’s really blowing things up here.” — Robin ([16:21])

• Album Release: Ambiguous Desire arrives April 3.

---

3. Lana Del Rey – “White Feather Hawktail Deer Hunter”

[19:38–27:14]

• Ongoing Anticipation: The hosts reflect on the long wait for Lana’s new record (tentatively titled Stove), noting her pattern of keeping fans guessing.

• The Song: “White Feather Hawktail Deer Hunter” channels classic Americana with a surreal, haunting twist, reminiscent of a “soliloquy from some out of time haunted musical” ([24:39]), blending domestic imagery with unsettling undertones.

  “There’s always something ... very rooted in the present in her music ... the way she puts the elements together makes it a little uncanny.” — Sheldon ([24:52])

• Personal Lyrical Touches: The song references Lana’s husband Jeremy Dufresne, blending apparent affection with disquieting vibes.

  “She says things that sound like the kinds of things that someone who’s very much in love would say. ... But the overall mood is so strange and unsettling.” — Robin ([25:18])

• Theme Exploration: The song toys with ideals of domesticity and the American dream, but obscures easy interpretation.

---

4. Baby Rose (feat. Leon Thomas) – “Friends Again”

[27:23–33:45]

• Vocal Power: Baby Rose’s instantly recognizable, generational voice is celebrated.

  “You’re two bars into that song, and you could listen to it not knowing anything about it and immediately say, ‘Baby Rose.’ ... I don’t think we can overstate it, though. I think her voice is generational.” — Robin ([31:38])

• Duet Chemistry: Leon Thomas, fresh from a Grammy win, provides “the perfect foil,” matching Rose’s vocal emotionality and adding classic soul man vibes. Their interplay is described as “stride for stride,” enhancing the song’s emotional push-pull.

  “He leans into the strength of his vocals in the way that a lot of other R&B singers don’t.” — Sheldon ([32:31])

---

5. James Blake – “I Had a Dream She Took My Hand” (from Trying Times)

[34:32–41:30]

• Timeless, Surreal Quality: Blake fuses postwar vocal pop (think “Mr. Sandman”) with contemporary electronic flourishes, yielding a song that feels “out of time.”

  “It opens, it's got that sort of like post war vocal pop group ... I always find that so creepy, that sound.” — Robin ([38:52])

• Narrative Depth: A referenced Titanic band changes the meaning from romantic dream to existential dread.

  “In that one little moment, it goes from, again, like, maybe you're just walking in the park holding hands to, to, oh no, you're drowning in an ocean ... she starts to dissolve and the whole picture completely changes.” — Robin ([40:34])

• Production Notes: The track devolves into a raw piano-vocal demo before building back up, showcasing Blake’s ability to mesh traditional songwriting with digital experimentation.

  “With anything that James Blake does, there's always going to be this element of like conjuring the ghost in the machine.” — Sheldon ([39:21])

• Album News: Trying Times releases March 13.

---

6. Bella K – “Steady” (from A Couple Minutes)

[41:42–End]

• Artist Introduction: Bella K’s breakout “the Sick” establishes her as a voice of confessional, intense bedroom pop tinged with “Tumblr core” aesthetics.

• Track Assessment: “Steady” is described as “raw, bruised, so hurt ... so earnest in its assessment of that hurt” ([42:57]), capturing profound vulnerability and self-doubt in relationships.

  “This song is so confessional and so honest, so revealing. It kind of made me uncomfortable listening to it.” — Robin ([42:47])

• Emergent Curiosity: Hosts are intrigued about Bella K’s next artistic steps.

---

Memorable Quotes

• Robin on U2:
  “Welcome back U2. We've missed you.” ([10:09])

• Sheldon on Arlo Parks:
  “There's a space you fight between ... when I catch a glimpse of heaven, I know I can't take it with me. Maybe knowing that is closure.” ([11:59], quoting lyrics)

• Robin on Lana Del Rey:
  “But the overall mood is so strange and unsettling. I'm just. I just don't know what I'm supposed to think.” ([25:18])

• Sheldon on Baby Rose’s voice:
  “I feel like she could probably sing the terms and conditions to me and I’d still be locked in with her.” ([32:06])

• Robin and Sheldon, in closing:
  “I gotta be honest, Sheldon, I really like music.”
  “Yeah, man, music is pretty good.”
  ([41:21])

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• U2 “American Obituary” analysis: [02:28–10:38]
• Arlo Parks “Heaven” discussion: [10:38–17:51]
• Lana Del Rey news & “White Feather Hawktail Deer Hunter”: [19:38–27:14]
• Baby Rose feat. Leon Thomas “Friends Again”: [27:23–33:45]
• James Blake “I Had a Dream She Took My Hand”: [34:32–41:30]
• Bella K “Steady”: [41:42–End, 45:35]

---

Overall Tone & Takeaways

Genuine enthusiasm and critical insight define the episode’s tone, with the hosts balancing nerdy music analysis and pure feeling. The show celebrates veteran artists reinvigorated by the zeitgeist (U2, Lana Del Rey) alongside innovative rising talents (Arlo Parks, Bella K), all while pointing listeners toward the music that’s most alive right now.

Catchphrase of the day:
“Music is pretty good.”

Transcript

[A]

This message comes from Charles Schwab. When it comes to managing your wealth, Schwab gives you more choices like full service, wealth management and advice when you need it. You can also invest on your own and trade on think or swim. Visit schwab.com to learn more.

[B]

This episode of All Songs Considered comes to you from the NPR Music podcast. NPR Music, of course, is where you will find Tiny Desk, but it's also home to Alt Latino with new episodes in this feed every Wednesday. The plus version of the podcast deep dives on a single song every other Thursday, and of course, new music Friday. That's every Friday. NPR Music also, where you will find reviews, analysis and hot takes from Sheldon Pierce.

[C]

Hello, allsongs fam.

[B]

You just had a piece go up. People can find it on the NPR site. It's all about. Well, ostensibly it's a review of two new albums by Jill Scott and Brent Faiz, but really, I read it as a complete takedown of the self help industry.

[C]

Yeah, it really it kind of ends up being that in a way, doesn't it?

[B]

I mean, you call them charlatans.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

I guess it's because I was thinking, like, she has been so much a figure of relentless optimism throughout her career.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Self improvement has been such a key cog in the way that her music functions and the way that it sounds. It's like very sort of like spiritually refreshing in a way.

[B]

Also, belief in the self, though.

[C]

Yeah. Really investing in becoming the better you. And I was like, man, Jill Scott is like the antithesis of so many of these grifters out here who are selling a version of you that is like, it's specifically designed to make them money. And it just made me think about that album in conversation with the Brent Faez album as two artists sort of like, try to reckon with what the idea of becoming the better version of you as an artist is.

[B]

Well, it's a great read and people should definitely go check it out. It's on the NPR site. On this episode of All Songs Considered, we're talking about the best new songs of the week, the songs that you and I have been obsessing over. You know, when we started kind of circling some of the stuff that we thought we might want to play on the show this week, I really wanted to find something that just rocked really hard. Like, well, it's because, like, a lot of the stuff that we ended up picking is it's not quiet, but pretty chill.

[C]

Like, kind of there's understated qualities to most of the stuff yeah.

[B]

So kind of mid tempo. Y. Some of it's a little weird. We'll get to that. But anyway, so I was doing some virtual crate digging and listening to a bunch of stuff, trying to find that thing that would just light everything up. When out of nowhere, and I mean literally, like a total surprise, U2, the band U2 drops this EP on everybody. Like, it's been nearly a decade since they've had any new music out.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And, like, all new, brand new songs. Their last album was in 2017 called Songs of Surrender. This new episode, it's pretty great. It's called Days of Ash. And it opens with this absolute scorcher called American Obituary.

[D]

You have the right to remain silent or not. Got a brother, mother's love A guiding hand to pick you up to crush her like a coffee cup why? Crossing by the yellow bus Our children teach us who to trust the worst can't kill what's best in us but they can try America will rise against the people of the light I love you W But hate loves wo I love you more than hate love. Renee could born to die free American mother of three Seventh day January A bullet for each child you see the color of her eyes 9:30 Minneapolis to desecrate domestic bliss 3 bullets blast 3 babies kiss Renee the domestic terrorist but what you can't kill can kill America A wheel r against the people of the land I love you more than hate loves w I love you more. We love you. I am not mad at you, Lord, you're the reason I was there. Could you stop our hearts from breaking back having in our care could you stop the bulletin sa. Stronger than the people in in the streets with children playing in the churches where they're praying.

[B]

I just cannot tell you how re Energized and vital this band sounds so deep into their career. Like, if ever there was a band that literally has nothing left to prove, yeah, it's you two. And they come back with this just blistering critique on everything that's been happening around immigration. So much more. And it is just such a. It works so well. It is such a fist in the air, rallying cry and a celebration of love, like fighting with love. It's incredible.

[C]

Yeah. I mean, if ever there was a sort of band that was going to live up to a moment like this or for sure it was gonna be U2. I think you can really feel if anything has rallied them back to, like, peak U2, it would be the desire to meet a moment like this with something as anthemic. And rallying as this. And I mean, I think about how simple it is in its messaging, how straightforward, how blunt it is, the force of that, how if you've ever actually been to a protest, like, and heard the kind of chants that will like ring off there, it is that kind of effective, like, cut to the chase rhetoric that is most effective in bringing people together in support of a common message. And that is really what I hear in this song. Like the ability to cut right straight to the feeling and supercharge it.

[B]

That's a great point because like the activists and the advocacy and the protest across their catalog from day one, it's always been in there. It's always been very obvious. It hasn't really warranted a lot of deconstructing because it is so direct, as you say. For me, it kind of comes down to, is it just a great song otherwise, like, does it just work as music? And this really, really does. And then when you pack it with a punch like that, with all the messages in this, it's game over. I was listening to it, honestly, just now as we were playing it, and I thought, man, don't come at U2.

[C]

Yeah, I think it's the. The charm is twofold, right. Because there is this sense of it being like true U2, like, it is a band in its element that is also part of it. It is a great song on its own. It's also a great U2 song specifically.

[B]

And fast too. Yeah. I mean, it's mid February.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So. And they're talking about things that happened a month ago. So it's really amazing. So again, the EP from U2 is called Days of Ash. They're working on a full album. They apparently already have more than a couple dozen tracks that they've got ready to go on this new release. Don't know what it's called or when or anything like that, but they have said that it is an album of defiant joy. Welcome back you to We've missed you. I don't know where you go from there.

[C]

You know, I think probably a good place to land is, you know, in the wake of the sort of many existential crises we face in this moment as U2 is singing about. I mean, there is also a call for escapism. Like a place to like step back and not have to live in that for every single moment of your life. The new music from the singer songwriter Arlo Parks is specifically geared towards that feeling. The first single, two sided, sort of set the tone for what her music is. It's very club focused. It's kind of a tweak of the indie pop with, like, folk flourishes that she's done throughout her career, but just far more rhythmic, far more about ecstasy. And the second single, heaven, takes it to a whole nother level.

[D]

Tell you the way this feels this feels you inviting me like the star My arm under the bridge Watching Kelly spin play. Bodies in the summer breeze Concrete washing with metallic green let's get involved let's get involved Party doesn't gasoline My friends feeling out into the streets let's get involved, let's get involved until the door break. Do you just want time to freeze? Well, I think sometimes it's both you. There's a space you fight between When I catch a glimpse of heaven I know I can't take it with me maybe knowing that it's closure Closure. Info let's get involved Tight poking hidden heels My friends feeling out into the streets let's get info let's get info until the door breaks. Sam,

[B]

I'd love this song anyway, but that bass drop, oh, my goodness. That's when it just goes next level.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Man. You and I were in here. We were just like, grooving, man. That was.

[C]

It is so, so groovy. It. You feel it in your chest and it's like, that's not a sensation that you would have previously expected out of an Arlo park song.

[B]

No, I mean, like, so you mentioned two sided, the first single. When that came out, I thought, oh, what are you doing here? Like, where are you going with your music? Because, like, that first album collapsed into Sunbeams was it had such a vintage sound, such a classic soul and R and B sound, a lot more sort of acoustic and analog. And she's really blowing things up here.

[C]

Yeah, this feels like a bit of a fresh start. But I think what I like about this song in comparison to two sided is it's not what you'd expect from her, but the mood and tone are kind of like perfectly aligned with what her music has been in the past. This feels like more of an extension of what she had done before than two sided. I felt like when I heard two sided, to your point, it's like, oh, is this a left turn? And then here she has sort of like settled into a nice progression of her sound. It is more nightlife focused.

[B]

Yeah, I agree completely. That's exactly what I wrote down in my notes. That just. It feels like heaven sort of splits the difference. Like, she's found that nice, perfect sweet spot between those two sonic worlds. So much great imagery across this too. Just Diet Coke and kitten heels. I don't even know what that is, but it's perfect. Diet Coke, kitten heels, Concrete washing with metallic green bodies in the sun Summer breeze so good. Well again, the album from Arlo Parks is called Ambiguous Desire and that is out on April 3rd.

[A]

Support for this podcast and the following message come from Strawberry Me. If you could go back and talk to your younger self, would you tell yourself that you have a job that truly makes you happy? Many people are stuck in jobs they've outgrown or never really wanted. A career coach from Strawberry Me can help you move on to something you actually love. Benefit from having a dedicated coach in your Corner, and get 50% off your first coaching session at Strawberry Me. NPR support for NPR and the following message come from HomeServe. Owning a home is full of surprises, and when something breaks, it can feel like the whole day unravels. HomeServe is ready to help, bringing peace of mind to four and a half million homeowners nationwide. Plans start at just $4.99 a month. Sign up today at HomeServe.com not available everywhere. Most plans range between $4.99 to $11.99 a month. Your first year terms apply on covered repairs.

[C]

This message comes from NPR sponsor the Capital One Venture X Card. Venture X offers the premium benefits you expect, like a $300 annual Capital One travel credit for less than you expect, plus earn unlimited double miles on every purchase and enjoy access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide. Capital One what's in your wallet? Terms apply. Lounge access is subject to change. See capitalone.com for details.

[A]

This message comes from NPR sponsor Viori, featuring the performance jogger. Visit viori.com NPR for 20% off your first purchase on any US orders over $75 and free returns. Exclusions apply. Visit the website for full terms and conditions.

[B]

Sheldon We've been on Lana Del Rey watch for about a year and a half or so now. It feels like the album that we keep thinking is going to come any minute now. I want to say like at the top of 2025, we were thinking like any, any day now.

[C]

Yeah, it could drop today.

[B]

It's gone through several name changes. The latest is Stove, that it's gonna be called Stove, but it felt like maybe we got at least a little bit closer last week when Lana Del Rey released yet another single. It's the third single that she's released kind of leading up to the album, and it's really not like the other two that she dropped at all. So I guess we're no closer to really understanding what the album is gonna sound like. But, I mean, that's one of the things I love about Lana Del Rey's music so much, is that when you hit play on a new song, you don't know which Lana Del Rey you're gonna get. Yeah, and when I hit play on this new song, it was exactly the Lana Del Rey that I wanted to get. The song is called White Feather Hawktail Deer Hunter and I am not making

[C]

that up a real mouthful.

[B]

White Feather Hawktail Deer Hunter the new song from Lana Del Rey. Very curious to hear what you think after we listen to.

[D]

Here's My white feather Hocktail. Dear hunter likes to keep me cool in the hot breeze Summer likes to push me on the screen John Deere Moore I know you wish you had a man like him it's such a bummer when I met him like an arrow, like a bird in the heart like a sparrow in the dog Snap crackle pops Miramash is just in my bone marrow Everyone knows I had some trouble but I'm home for the summer and I wanted to know if I could use your stove to cook something up for you Cuz you're positively rudo everything that you do did you know exactly how magical you are? Whoopsy daisy you yelling I love you out to my white feather Take my hand off the stove hun yo you dinner's almost done Oopsy daisy you woohoo I imagine you do know how absolutely wonderful that you are here's my white feather hocktail deer hunter before I met a morobo over three summers now it's a ribbon around my neck and it's cherry color I just been baking waiting on a spirit hunter I got a nicotine patch for the summer yeah I'm a ghost doesn't mean I feel feel nothing Put it on my ass no tan line Summer I love my daddy of course we're still together Everyone knows I had some trouble but it's been three summers I know it's strange to see me cooking for my husband Know everything that you do did you know exactly how magical you are? Whoopsie daisy you yelling I love you up to my white feather I build it Take my hand off the stove honey dinner's almost done Whoopsie daisy you I imagine you do know how absolutely ben that I'm with an oven. Whoopsie daisy do you think it's okay? Whoopsy daisy to pussy sugar cane Y Like maybe should have saved her friend. Stick with Bing Daisy's face again Whoopsie Daisy do you think it's okay? Whoopsy Daisy to pussy sugar cane yeah, should.

[B]

So much going on on this, I don't even know where to begin. But I mean, doesn't it sound like a soliloquy from some out of time haunted musical from like the 40s or 50s or something like that? Don't you get that?

[C]

Yeah. The interesting thing about her is her flourishes, though. The touchstones are always like classic Americana in some sense. There's always something that is, like, very modern and like, very rooted in the present in her music that, like, it's something about the way that she puts the elements together that always makes it a little uncanny.

[B]

Like, it's anachronistic in some ways. Like when the song opens, It almost sounds like something from like a 50s horror movie, like a B movie, one of those old black and white terrible horror movies from the 50s, you know, and then, yeah, it just turns into this sort of twisted musical. I don't know how else to put it. And then what she's singing about is so curious too, because she's saying. I think it's safe to say she's singing about her husband, Jeremy Dufresne. Dufresne. And you know, she had an Instagram post where she referred to his little hawktail hair. And, you know, obviously that comes up in the song a lot. I'm just not sure how to take it because she says things that sound like the kinds of things that someone who's very much in love would say. You know, she says he's magical, he's positively voodoo, that they're the perfect match. And that, like, he's in her bone marrow. But the overall mood is so strange and unsettling. I'm just. I just don't know what I'm supposed to think.

[C]

Yeah, I've been trying to make sense of the lyrics on this for a week now and still haven't. There is something just a little distorted about it. Something that isn't all on the surface. All of her music has kind of toyed with the ideals of, like, the domestic, like the nuclear American family at the center of the American dream. And this song, it feels like it's still playing in that sandbox, but it's maybe harder to read than a lot of the stuff that she's released previously. Maybe that's part of the point, but I am just still so captivated by this version of her. I hope there's a lot more of this kind of stuff on this record.

[B]

Yeah, me too. White feather Hawktail Deer hunter from Lana Del Rey. Say that. Say that a hundred times really fast.

[C]

I'm going to go in a complete. Well, I guess it's not a complete 180. But to another artist who has sort of embodied a singular sound, they have really one of the most powerful voices in all of music, One that is so singular, so astoundingly recognizable every single time you hear it and so, like, piercing the heart every time. The artist is Baby Rose. There's a new single. It's called Friends Again, and it features Leon Thomas.

[D]

But here I am wanting more but in my mind I'm not so sure Larry, open up the door about the fight with the rain With a matching kerosene d it out on the flame why do I feel this way? The shame why did we have to complicate it? No r of weakness we can explain Will we ever be friends again? In desire it's hard to put out these fire why try to put out these flames? You always come back the same I tried to bury this ro but in my mind used to grow you and me God only know Will it ever feel the same? Why did we have to complicate it? Moment of weakness we can explain Will we ever be friends again? Will it ever be the same? Right here if we have to complicate it Moment of weakness we can explain Will we ever be friends again? I don't know I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. You know? I know you've been friends for a long time on. It's weird for me, too, to feel like I do.

[A]

I just.

[D]

My best friend.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

You say singular voice like you're two bars into that song, and you could listen to it not knowing anything about it and immediately say, baby Rose. Yeah, Baby Rose. I don't think we can overstate it, though. I think her voice is generational.

[C]

Oh, absolutely.

[B]

101. It is so singular, and it's not affected in any way. It's not like, oh, here's that singer who does the Baby Rose voice. It is her voice, and it is unlike anything else.

[C]

Yeah, there's so much character in it. I mean, honestly, I feel like she could probably sing the terms and conditions to me and I'd still be locked in with her.

[B]

Is that possible? I would actually pay attention to the

[C]

terms and conditions, But I think this song works so beautifully also because she sort of picks the perfect foil for her in this moment.

[B]

Oh, Leon's hanging with her really well.

[C]

Leon Thomas, if you don't know, recently he was the Grammy winner for best R and B album. He's sort of come into his own. Over the course of the year she was on, she appeared on their previous collaborators, so there's already a rapport there. But also, he is sort of like a modern version of, like, the classic soul man. He's a multi instrumentalist. He leans into, like, the strength of his vocals in the way that a lot of other RB singers don't. And you can hear him sort of going stride for stride with her in this song, which is a difficult thing to do. The way that they play off of each other is so instrumental to what makes this song work. To me, I wish there was a third chorus. I wish they had brought it back.

[B]

When that spoken word part comes in, though, I thought, yes, just keep going. You're nailing every part of this.

[C]

This is perfect. I think if your only critique of the song is that you wish they had given you a little bit more of it than it did its job perfectly.

[B]

Really beautiful. And it's called Friends Again. And it's just one off single for now.

[C]

For now. I think think she's gotta be gearing up to release. It's been too long. If nothing, I am manifesting it. We need a new record from Baby Rose.

[A]

This message comes from BetterHelp. February is full of flowers, candy, and lots of relationship talk. It can feel like everyone has it all together in their love lives, but the truth is, they're still figuring it out. And whether you're married, dating, or prioritizing being single, just remember, remember, you're right on time. Therapy can take the pressure off and help you feel lighter. Just a little outside perspective from a professional can lead to new understanding and a lot of progress. Visit betterhelp.com NPR for 10% off.

[B]

Well, we found out at the end of January that James Blake is coming back. James Blake has a new album coming. It's due out in March. It's called Trying Times. Really have loved everything that I've heard so far from it. The latest single especially, it's called I Had a Dream. She took my hand hand. And it kind of reminds me a little bit of the Lana Del Re cut. Actually, it's not as moody as the Lana Del Rey, but both of them just kind of feel out of time in a way and with just a little touch of the surreal again. It's called I Had a Dream. She Took my hand.

[D]

She took my hand. It was only a dream I had a dream she took my hand I felt higher than storms Light to the sand I had a dream she took my hand Deeper than whirlpools and safer than land oh, this is love let's stay up can we stay here? She didn't know. I had a dream she took my hand I heard my call to the Titanic band playing the miles from land Nothing left to do but grip on that hand oh, this is love's let's stay up can we stay here? She didn't know. She began to dissolve along with her soul I couldn't remember her face Remember her name As I was losing control she motioned to say oh, let's go, let's go let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go Come back, come back, Come back. I just want to know what it means. I just want to know.

[B]

You hear some of those parallels I'm talking about with the Lana.

[D]

It's.

[B]

It opens, it's got that sort of like post war vocal pop group, like Mr. Sandman, sort of.

[C]

Yeah,

[B]

I always find that so creepy, that sound. And it kind of lurks in the background throughout the whole song. The synth, that synth line, it's a little cracked and broken. It's a little warbly and broken. You know, it's all these subtle little things that blur the picture and make you realize that maybe it's not exactly what you think it is. Maybe it's not just somebody walking through a park holding hands with the person they love.

[C]

Yeah, there's a little bit of waltz in it, the way that he interprets it. But with anything that James Blake does, there's always going to be this element of like conjuring the ghost in the machine. Like, he will always be able to take anything that he does and bring it back to this wheelhouse of like really evocative electronic based music. Like, he is very much straddling the divide between traditional and whatever people think of as traditional. Right. The old school ideals of music making versus the digital ideals and like mashing those two together in a way that blurs the lines between those two worlds. There's a moment in this song where it like literally sort of like devolves into just him and his voice and the piano.

[B]

Piano.

[C]

And he's just like. It literally sounds almost like a demo of him. Just like, raw uncut audio in the middle of this song. But then it, like, slowly, like, builds back up into that last bridge.

[B]

Yeah. There's a really important line in this song that I think changes everything. And it's when he name checks the band that played on the Titanic and he says something like, you know, they're playing everyone out miles from land and that there's nothing left to do but to hold her hand. And in that one little moment, it goes from again, like, maybe you're just walking in the park holding hands to. To, oh, no, you're drowning in an ocean and you're holding her hand and you're sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Because then he. And then he says she starts to dissolve and the whole picture completely changes in that one little moment.

[C]

Yeah, I mean, I. Coming out of that second verse, I think I completely hear the chorus differently.

[B]

I gotta be honest, Sheldon, I really like music. Yeah, man, music is pretty good.

[C]

It's a pretty sweet deal.

[B]

James Blake. The song I Had a Dream, She Took My Hand, that's from an album coming out in March, an album called Trying times out on March 13th. But, Sheldon, I know you got one more you want to play.

[C]

Yeah, I'm gonna send us out on something new to you, I believe. Oh, totally new to you and pretty new to me. It's by a singer, songwriter named Bella Kay. She sort of broke out last year with the single the Sick. It went viral on TikTok. It's bait for a certain kind of post that is just like an image, often a selfie with a kind of quote about, like, tragic romance overlaid on top of it. It's very, like, Tumblr core, but it's easy to get why. The song has sort of like a quiet, somewhat like, melodramatic quality. That single didn't really do it for me, but I've been paying attention to her because it felt like the higher end of, like, a souped up version of a lot of the bedroom poppy stuff that seems to exist in, like, the covers corner of the Internet. And there was something sort of really intimate about her songwriting that stood out to me. And there's a song that has. Has sort of. I don't want to say it's got me all in, but I'm curious about where she goes from here. It's called Steady.

[B]

Yeah, this is a great find. I will say. This song is so confessional and so honest, so revealing. It kind of made me uncomfortable listening to it.

[C]

That was what got me sort of like the raw, bruised quality of it. It's so bruised, so, so hurt. But like, so earnest in its, like, assessment of that hurt.

[B]

All right, so Bella K the song Steady. This is from an album called A Couple Minutes out and we'll go out on this. Sheldon Pierce, thanks as always for a great hang.

[C]

So great to be here.

[B]

And for NPR Music, I'm Robin Hilton. It's All Songs Considered.

[D]

I don't want to fall in love cuz I don't believe that I deserve it there's always one more pound to lose I'm not worthy if I didn't earn it I don't want to fall in love cuz who could love me back on purpose? Always too much, never enough, never a person I can treat you whenever I treat myself like this I need to get better Swear I'm working on it Guess I'll never be ready. Guess I'll never be good. We will never go study I don't think that we should Guess I'll never be ready. You always want to be mine so I'll never be yours I don't want to fall in love cuz I'm scared of the person I'll become There's always one more bridge to burn how far can I make you run? I don't want to fall in love cuz I know when it's all said and done back where I started More broken already less of the person I want what I can treat you. I need to get better. Guess I'll never be ready Guess I'll never be good ready we will never go study I don't think that we

[C]

should

[D]

Guess I'll never be ready. Again. So I'll never be yours.

[C]

This message comes From NPR sponsor 1Password. Anyone else feel like 99% of your emails and texts are password reset codes trusted by millions of users and over 175,000 businesses? 1Password lets you skip the resets and sign in securely. With strong unique passwords that auto fill across all your devices, you can safely share logins, store cards and files. And finally, stop using your pet's name as a password. Try it free for two weeks at 1Password.com NPR this message comes from NPR sponsor NetSuite. Every business is asking the same question. How did they make AI work for them? With Netsuite by Oracle, you can put AI to work. Today, NetSuite is the number one AI Cloud ERP trusted by over 43,000 businesses. It's the unified suite that brings your financials, inventory, commerce, HR and CRM together. If your revenues are at least in the seven figures. Get the free business guide demystifying [e-mail] Story.