Secondhand Sound—a rising Nashville alternative rock band—recently released their new single “Kayla Klein,” one of their first releases following their 2019 EP, Words to Make You Stay. Titled after the famous horror film actress, the song’s theme is based around people from our past and those we have history with, and what feelings of terror may come with them. With a driving pulse from drummer Collin Plank, lead singer Sawyer Estok tells the piece’s story by talking about someone from his past calling him back to her. The vocals go on to share the story of young love, and what they once had, the prechorus line being, “My head feels a hundred degrees/The way she walks or the way she breathes/I’ve felt like this since I was fifteen.” These lyrics make it apparent that what we wanted at one point in our lives might differ as we age; or might not, in Estok’s case. His words emphasize that we always hold a special space in our hearts for our first love, and even after years of silence, hearing that person’s voice again releases a flood of emotion.
On the flip side of the lyrics, we do have to mature and grow into our futures and companions, which is beautifully displayed in the lyric, “Situations change/And people do too/What if I told you I love you/Another place another time/I suppose/I guess I'll be catching you later somewhere down the road.” By expressing the idea of wrong place/wrong time love, Secondhand Sound’s piece appeals emotionally to anyone who has ever loved but had their heart broken because of the one little detail that never quite fit with the rest of the puzzle.
The song is raw and honest in musicality (with an outrageous opening guitar sequence by Cameron Schmidt) as well as its lyrical content. It is not one to overlook.
Stream the single here.
Words by Julia Norkus.
