A Million Little Fires – “Delusion”
A Million Little Fires – “Delusion” – Single Review
I tell ya folks…2024 has been off to a…hmm…strange, but intriguing start so far?
Sure! That sounds about right, so let’s put it that way. We’ve got another eleven months or so to sort this year out I figure.
Do you remember A Million Little Fires from November of last year? I know I sure do! *winky face. It’s true though, I do, I swear! I was sent this new track “Delusion” with the reminder that I’d previously written about a song called “All I Want” from someone without a last name and no mention of the artist or band-name…and I was like, huh? I’m old enough now to remember that I used to remember things, but you know, the less vague something is, the better chance I’ll have about remembering like…anything? I can promise ya that. So before you think I might not remember you at all, have a look at what’s been sent and whether or not I ever stood a chance!
Besides…like many a music critic out there, I tend to remember things more by sound – so of course I remember Jay Douglas’ band A Million Little Fires! They’re the loud ones that sound like they came outta the late 90s/early 2000s – for sure, I can recall that from what I’d heard on “All I Want” previously. And I suppose there’s still an element of that in the vibe of “Delusion” as well, though I’d probably argue that it does move the sound forward a bit chronologically…more towards the hard-rock/metal you’ll find past 2010…the question then becomes whether or not that’s drifting into the most memorable era of music or not, you know? I don’t need it to end up being HARDER to remember A Million Little Fires – I’m gettin’ freakin’ old here! If I’m being real with ya…Jay’s gotta be seriously cautious here…”Delusion” is brilliantly well-performed without a doubt, but it’s the kind of cut that could possibly cast him into the sea of sameness. There is work to be done in A Million Little Fires, but every reason to keep this project burning in the direction that it’s going at the same time. Like, I listen to the MASSIVE sound that this band has got goin’ for it, and there’s no question that they’ve got a place on playlists, charts, and stages out there – there is a whole lot of listeners around the globe that look for music with the BEEF that A Million Little Fires has to it. Heck, they’re gonna have to rename the band to A Million LARGE fires if they keep going with the high standards of performance and enormous sound that they’re rocking with!
So heck ya, believe me when I tell ya, the professionalism is completely present and accounted for. You couldn’t find a weak point in the way this band plays – “Delusion” packs a powerful sonic punch from the music to the microphone, and A Million Little Fires has put in the kind of sensational performance required to pull people in to listen & secure them as fans. That’s the good news, and to be truthful, anything I’d say beyond that almost doesn’t matter at all – there’s more than enough here to get a whole bunch of listeners listenin’ – and they should be completely proud of the performance they’ve collectively put into “Delusion.” It speaks volumes on behalf of the sound of A Million Little Fires and the potential reach it has…I could cite the outstanding guitars, bass, drums, keys, vocals individually and go further into how each element plays a strong role in a track like this, but it’s the unity you’ll find straight across the board in how a track like this is played so tightly in all aspects that deserves the most credit. THEY play the living daylights outta this single, together, as one entity…it’s genuinely impressive.
Where I have my main concerns is the subject & theme of “Delusion” and the lyricism we’re dealing with here…that’s the spot where I feel like A Million Little Fires is walking a very, very fine line. On the one hand, it’s fair to say that “Delusion” is focused from start to finish and that everything does fit – honestly, that’s huge, and that MATTERS when you’re writing a song. So check that for a solid WIN for Jay in that regard, I think that’s completely important to have the kind of focus he has, that’s the positive. Where a track like “Delusion” becomes way more problematic potentially, is that there’s almost next to nothing here that we haven’t come across in some way, shape, or form somewhere else out there in the scene already…that’s the kind of stuff that can have you drowning in the sea of sameness and make it incredibly tough to argue there’s a distinction between what you’re doing and what someone else is – make sense? Like, when I listened to “Delusion” for the first time, where Jay sang “drowning in silence” – I was already anticipating that next line of “lost in the violence” – and that’s about the last place you ever wanna be as a songwriter…you don’t want someone else finishing your sentences before they’ve even heard them, you feel me? You could look at it from the old adage that ‘clichés are clichés for a reason’ – which I do believe is ultimately true – but you could also write from the point of incomparable uniqueness as well…you just gotta bend that pen to push yourself creatively.
So in the case of a song like “Delusion,” it’s a matter of whether or not flawless execution triumphs over glaring similarities…whether or not uniqueness and identity are more crucial components to listeners over hearing a really damn well-played tune – and honestly, from the experience I’ve had & what I’ve seen out there in the court of public opinion, it’s different from everyone on an individual level. We all have those things on a list in our head that are more important than others…some folks can’t take their ears off a lead singer, some need a song they can sing along with, some are addicted to drums etc. etc. – that list exists in everyone, and it’s impossible to cater to as an artist, nor should that be the main goal anyway. All you can do is be the best version of YOU that YOU can be…that’s what matters most, always. I think Jay’s got more to his lyricism than we experience on “Delusion,” and is entirely capable of writing songs that would separate A Million Little Fires apart from anything else we’ve ever heard – but that takes a whole lot of conscious choice, perspective, and objectivity to achieve that. Beyond that, it’s not something everyone necessarily WANTS to do, and I totally get that…some artists and bands are more than comfortable being lumped in with a bunch of others, and many scenes are started in that exact type of way. It’s up to Jay and A Million Little Fires as to how they distinguish themselves from the rest of what’s out there, and whether that comes from what they’re playing, or simply how they play it.
Ain’t no doubt about the extraordinary level of professionalism in this band or their outstanding level of musicianship – they’ve got that all locked down TIGHT. But as they say, with great power, comes great responsibility…to me, we’re still looking for that unmistakable identity of A Million Little Fires to be the most prevalent aspect of what we hear…so that we remember their music for exactly who they are.
“Delusion” arrives this Friday – find out more about A Million Little Fires from the official sites below!
Main Site: https://amillionlittlefires.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amillionlittlefires
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4RbLxuc0CWsbwEjkuIDofA
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/a-million-little-fires/1060268372
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@amillionlittlefires
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