Zella Day Breaks Down Sophomore Album Sunday In Heaven Track By Track: Exclusive

Joe Eckstein
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Track by Track is a recurring feature series in which artists share the story behind every song on their latest release. Today, Zella Day breaks down her new album, Sunday In Heaven.

In the seven years since Zella Day released her debut project, Kicker, the singer-songwriter has kept busy. She’s collaborated with the likes of Lana Del Rey and Weyes Blood, and recorded an EP in 2020 with The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. Now, at 27 years old, Day is ready to cement her status as one of the most powerful voices in the genre; her sophomore record Sunday In Heaven, out Friday, October 14th, is a cathartic and powerful proclamation that she’s up for the task.

On Sunday In Heaven, Day evokes a spirit of freedom and liberation through her songwriting and impassioned vocal range, supported by genre-bending production from Cage The Elephant producer Jay Joyce, John Velasquez, and Alex Casnoff. Sunday In Heaven is a personal tale; one where snapshot moments of Day’s life can be felt, the attention to detail in her lyrics forming vivid imagery. No lyric is wasted, and each verse is treated like a brushstroke, painting memories for listeners.

One of the most introspective tracks on the project is “Radio Silence,” an absolute masterclass in storytelling that also serves as a pro-reproductive rights effort. Day explains to Consequence that she suffered an ectopic pregnancy, something that she “didn’t talk about for a long time” until the wrote the song. “There was a lot of anger and hurt that needed to be worked through,”she adds. “Writing about it helped me let go of deep emotional stress I was holding in my body. It’s a small piece of a bigger story that so many women go through.”

Meanwhile, like many artists, the pandemic impacted Day’s approach, and she remembers the world feeling “helpless” amid the start of uncertainty. But rather than let this bleak period get to her, she created “Golden,” an uplifting track that exudes a ripe sense of hope: “I wanted to write a song about finding joy in the face of despair and not feeling guilted by happiness. Life is a trip, eat some cake and dance around the living room.”

Elsewhere on the album, there’s the Roy Orbison-inspired “Am I Still Your Baby?,” a palpable sensibility of existence on “Real Life,” and the somber yet angelic concluding title track. Sunday In Heaven is an audio time capsule — a personal effort done on Day’s own terms, and a statement that speaks for herself as well as others.

Listen to Zella Day’s Sunday In Heaven and read her breakdown of the album below.

“Mushroom Punch”:

Years ago I was on my first headlining international tour that ended in Russia for the last three remaining shows. We drove from Moscow to St. Petersburg all the way to Yekaterinburg in a twelve-passenger van and stopped at pretty much all of the roadside attractions along the way including a rest stop called “Lizard Acres.” It really wasn’t much to see, just a brick building distributing information for tourists with a lime green drinking fountain out front, but the name of the place felt like a song. Later on it was the starting place for the psychedelic language used in “Mushroom Punch” — it became the place where my lover and I reside.

“Am I Still Your Baby?”:

“Am I Still Your Baby?” was written during a time when I was listening to Roy Orbison religiously, primarily the album Crying. It’s the nicest way I could find to say, “I know you want me back.”

“Dance For Love”:

The song was started in the studio with my friends John Velasquez — who produced my cover of “You Sexy Thing” — and Ryan Hahn of Local Natives. I learned how to roller-skate backwards while finishing the lyrics.

“Girls”:

There was a summer where my friends and I would meet at Jumbos in Hollywood every Thursday for a beer. It’s a famous bikini bar that was opened back in 1970 that would put on these elaborate themed parties and send out newsletters called “Clowning Around.” One of my favorite stories [was] the “Pillow Parties,” where they would clear out the bar and put new pillows on the floor next to low Japanese tables and serve everyone pizza. There’s a small stage in the bar where the performances take place. You never know what you’re going to get at the Clown Room.

“Golden”:

It was March of 2020 and we were all helpless. I wanted to write a song about finding joy in the face of despair and not feeling guilted by happiness. Life is a trip, eat some cake and dance around the living room.

“I Don’t Know How to End”:

My mother grew up in Long Beach and it’s the place we moved back to after leaving Pinetop, AZ in 2012. The port of Long Beach is this strange and beautiful place made up of pastel shipping containers as far as the eye can see. It’s eerie and romantic. The Queen Mary in her red lingerie. I used to smoke pot with friends in deserted parking lots around the area. I fell in love there once.

“Radio Silence”:

I had a traumatic experience with an ectopic pregnancy that I didn’t talk about for a long time, up until this song. There was a lot of anger and hurt that needed to be worked through. Writing about it helped me let go of deep emotional stress I was holding in my body. It’s a small piece of a bigger story that so many women go through.

“Bunny”:

The original demo of this song has me singing, “They’ll cut your tail off Bunny,” as an alternate line to “taking the backseat honey.” I decided not to use that line while keeping the original title. I really like it when song titles aren’t explicit. I imagine the listener searching for “Bunny” and never finding her, which is kind of the point. It’s really about catching a stride, losing it, and having to start all over again.

“Real Life”:

Crash landing into reality. This is not what the poster said. What’s the refund policy? I guess you could also call it adulthood. It’s almost like the remaining particles of fairy dust get blown off the hood of your car as you merge onto the freeway.

“Almost Good”:

My friend used to have this small studio in Ojai that she would let me use for writing whenever she wasn’t using the space. She had a big roll of paper that I would roll out over the dining table to scribble on during my stays. “Almost Good” was written next to a plate of eggs and coffee. The song is totally freeform, breaks a lot of structural rules and sounds the best when played live.

“Last Time”:

This song is about recognizing your failures as opportunities to grow towards the future you envision for yourself; when there is a comeback to be made and you are on your way to making it. The production grows into a crescendo to reflect the nature of a full evolution.

“Sunday in Heaven”:

I’ve always been smitten by the phrase “heaven is a concept” and wanted to apply this idea to the album. I treated these songs as my concept of salvation. The song itself plays with the idea of disappointment upon arrival, which generally happens when you are too focused on the destination instead of the journey itself.

Zella Day Breaks Down Sophomore Album Sunday In Heaven Track By Track: Exclusive
Joe Eckstein

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