Growing Up
The Freshman
The first song from the album most fans would probably have heard is the ballad Holding On, as it was used in the recent Channel 8 drama, The Queen.
Beautiful and moving, the track has been making its way up local radio charts and deservedly so.
Regrets linger over a hook that draws you in: “Can’t let go of all the things I didn’t say to you/So much more I want to say/How are you, can you hear me, miss you.”
On their second full-length album after debut Life Experiment 101 (2010) and EP The Dazy Eyes (2012), local duo The Freshman – comprising Project Superstar alumnae Chen Diya and Carrie Yeo – deal with all manner of growing pains while remaining steadfastly optimistic.
Over strumming guitars, Some Days begins on a note of innocence lost: “When I was little, I yearned for so much/Used to hold promises so dearly”. But the refrain, in English, spurs one on with “No, don’t give up”.
Meanwhile, the singer-songwriters’ effervescence finds an outlet on numbers such as Easy Does It and Sophomore’s Dream, which offer perky tunes and lyrics with a sense of fun (“Eat prata with me if you can’t sleep/Don’t ignore my calls”).
The pivotal title track in this consistently engaging album ends with a poignant plea: “The one who loves me, the one I love/Never change again.”
It is followed by the beguiling Bird, which quietly contemplates the cyclical rhythm of life. And so The Freshman gently take flight.
(ST)