Kerrang! Magazine counts New Years Day among an elite handful of bands inspiring the next generation. Led by “the vibrant force of nature that is frontwoman Ash Costello,” New Years Day unleash anthems of discontent and empowerment, delivered with gothic flair and theatrical bombast.
It’s a sound that crashed into the Mainstream Rock Top 40 for the first time in 2019 with a top 15 rock radio charting single “Shut Up” followed up by the cathartic “Hurts Like Hell,” which finished 2022 as one of SiriusXM Octane’s Top 25 songs of the year. Each successive victory is a celebration of hard-fought creative freedom, unstoppable determination, and dedicated fans. Throngs of diehards and newcomers alike sing and sweat along with New Years Day, at festivals, in clubs, or on tours with Halestorm, Falling In Reverse, Motionless In White, Ice Nine Kills and In This Moment. Saints and sinners, victims and victors. In sound and vision, New Years Day walk the line between darkness and light.
The band’s duality comes to fruition on their new album Half Black Heart, an unrepentant and unashamed album championing discovery, from the darkest secrets to one’s inner strength. It’s a message destined to connect with those who struggle with self-acceptance and who fight to belong. “What’s pumping blood into our veins and keeping this band alive is our absolutely diehard fanbase,” Costello declares. “They are the heart of the band. And so, the Half Black Heart is dedicated to them.” Half Black Heart is full of themes of struggle, conquering one’s own fear, and confronting adversaries.
