With just a few days until her sophomore project, The Pains of Growing, hits digital shelves, Alessia Cara is giving us a final preview with the release of "Not Today." Like the other tunes on the 15-track album, the song was inspired by personal experience; this time, a breakup. Though confronting issues like sadness and depression, "Not Today" isn't somber or morose. In fact, it's quite the opposite. A jaunty, mid-tempo instrumental infuses the track with hope, even as she confesses, "Oh you don't know what sadness means / 'Til you're too sad to fall asleep / One day, I'll be snoozing peacefully / But surely not today."
Alessia's penchant for endearingly quirky music videos continues with the visual treatment for the song. Fans of Wes Anderson films like Moonrise Kingdom, The Darjeeling Limited, The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Royal Tenenbaums will get a kick out of watching Ms. Cara try to cope as she goes through the motions of her daily routine. But even if you're not a cinephile, it's a joy watching Ms. Cara be sad. Not that we derive pleasure from her pain – we're not sadists, sheesh – it's just that we appreciate her candor. She especially strikes a chord at the song's end, reminding us that it's alright to admit when you're not OK.
Take a listen/look at "Not Today" below while we wait for The Pains of Growing to drop this Friday, November 30th. The album is currently available for pre-order with instant downloads of the new song along with "Growing Pains," "A Little More" and "Trust My Lonely."
