Trevor Daniel, Past Life | Track Review 🎵

Rising pop singer/songwriter Trevor Daniel seeks to move beyond the past on “Past Life,” the stellar promo single from his debut LP, Nicotine.

“Past Life” marks the promo single from Nicotine, the forthcoming debut album from pop artist Trevor Daniel.  Daniel first garnered attention thanks to his 2018 single, “Falling”, which received a Summer Walker remix in January 2020.  Focusing on the song at hand, it has its fair share of selling points.

First of all, “Past Life” features production by FINNEAS and Sean Myer.  For FINNEAS, he’s been on a hot streak, most notably winning multiple Grammys for his work with his sister, Billie Eilish.  Here, on “Past Life,” the backdrop is comprised of guitars (rhythmic acoustic and electric guitars), as well as keyboards. Eventually, the production expands, anchored by a sleek, urban beat.  Ultimately, Trevor Daniel has an awesome canvas to paint his vocals on.

Focusing more on Trevor Daniel, he delivers a well-rounded, expressive, and nuanced vocal performance.  He begins singing more in his mid-lower register, ascending on the pre-chorus and hitting the goldmine on the chorus.

“Last night was the last night of my past life
Got me here like you can never figure me out
Last night was the last time, was the last time
I’ll never let you figure me out
Sitting here, talking to myself
Thinking how I used to use you
Only thing I’m used to
Last night was the last night of my past life, woah.”

The repetition of words in the chorus seem to exhibit a sense of anxiety and emotional instability from Daniel, at least in the past.  Clearly, he’s trying to move forward, more positively with greater stability.  He’s reflective on the verses, singing on the second, “And if I could convince myself to feel it / You know I would feel it, I would.”  Besides striving to move forward, the resulting record is one that’s quite satisfying.

Final Thoughts

If you haven’t checked out Trevor Daniel, “Past Life” is the perfect opportunity to do so. This is a well-written, reflective song that also gets a well-rounded performance from the artist.  The production is another win for Daniel, getting the assist from one of the hottest producers in the game right now.  All things seem to be falling in place.  Nicotine should be a compelling effort.

Trevor Daniel • “Past Life” – Single • Alamo • Release: 3.6.20

Photo Credit: Alamo