Whether you’re in love, figuring out your purpose or even a little hungry, Theo Kandel’s latest album is for you. Kandel (‘19) released his album “Eating & Drinking & Being in Love” on Sept. 20, blending not only moments of life but also musical genres, with hints of 60s rock and country twang. Kandel’s album takes the simple occurrences of daily life as a 20-something and pairs them with beautiful instrumentals and imagery. He masterfully blends funky, fun youthfulness with the elements of elegance and maturity. To give you a preview of this, I have put together a breakdown of each song on the album.
“Eating & Drinking & Being in Love (Intro)”
In his Substack, Kandel revealed that the instrumentals on this track resulted from messing around in the studio, and the vocals were recorded in his car. This intro has an unserious but fun tone with a bit of food for thought that sets the tone for the rest of the album. You’re immediately drawn into the thoughtful background music, and then Kandel’s voice comes in, rambling, laughing and ending with, ‘That’s what the best of life is / Just eating, drinking and being in love.’
“Honeydew Moon”
Are you missing summer? If so, this is the song for you. “Honeydew Moon” is a playful song about falling in love, complete with warm images of summer and rock riffs at the end. This is the kind of song you could sway to as you walk through a farmers market with your loved one by your side, as Kandel carefully placed mentions of fruit throughout the song.
“Lunch”
With its somber, reflective guitar picking at the start, Kandel immediately gets you thinking about that one person you miss. As Kandel puts it, you can miss someone “in the small ways too,” which honestly are the ways that hurt the most. The chorus is inspired by Frank O’Hara’s lunch poems set in New York City in the 1960s. Kandel expands on the poem’s words with dramatic vocals and raw emotion, capturing the heartbreak of the one who got away. With vivid imagery of classrooms and mentions of drinking too much coffee, he connects with the college student still pining for that first unexpected love. Yet, as most of us can relate to — life goes on — eventually, you have to grab lunch and head to the next class.
“The Painters”
This is a fun, first-date type of song. Kandel expresses the hope and fun that comes with meeting someone for the first time. He sings, “We can paint our picture in a thousand ways / If we paint every day,” alluding to how each moment helps form the relationship moving forward. This track is an upbeat tribute to the feel-good music of the 60s and 70s, and it calls for head-bopping or maybe even dancing.
“Fixer Upper”
After an upbeat song like “The Painters,” Kandel brings the listener back down with some sad cowboy strums and pictures of dilapidated old houses. Kandel opens with “The old style revival in white might fall down tonight… and we could fix it you know,” evoking a sense of sadness that gradually transforms into hope for the listener. “Fixer Upper” goes beneath the surface of a failing relationship. From hope to effort to the eventual acceptance that it can’t be fixed, Kandel explores the emotional timeline of a doomed couple, highlighting how sometimes life gets in the way. This is the essential breakup song of the album, with intense vocals, calm acceptance and mournful reminiscence.
“Nothing New”
As someone in their twenties, I related to the youthful memories that this song brings up, especially the not-so-smart decisions and the intensity of young emotions. “Nothing New” moves through the stages of a relationship and the process of aging with someone, evolving from the silly moments that it started with. To age is to accept that the surprises of life fade, and this song displays that in a fun way. It expresses how once you have that one person, you no longer need spontaneity. Kandel nods to his time spent in Tennessee while celebrating the joy that comes from growing old with someone.
“One More Night (With My Friends in the City)”
Kandel starts off with moody and funky rock vibes, inspired by music from Carole King, Bill Withers and Randy Newman. This track perfectly expresses the feeling of wanting to “spread the time out” with your friends back home. As Thanksgiving and winter break approaches, this song is perfect for reuniting with hometown friends. Kandel creates a vibrant yet authentic atmosphere, making it an ideal sing-along with friends during the winter season.
“On My Mind”
This song is exactly what it sounds like. In our early 20s, a time of growth and change, thoughts often run rampant. There’s always something on our minds. The music video for this song features Kandel driving around thinking about life, perfectly encapsulating “On My Mind.” Kandel recorded this song in one take to give that organic, real feeling that comes with retelling one’s thoughts.
“Joshua Tree (Interlude)”
This track is a cowboy poem, if you will — an interlude that stands apart from the rest of the album yet remains thought-provoking. Kandel brings in old Western influences, with tones reminiscent of Johnny Cash. Using desert imagery, he evokes themes of desolation, reminiscence and hopelessness, offering a stark, reflective pause in the album’s journey.
“Romanticizing Poets”
Despite its ironic title, especially following the cowboy poem, Kandel expertly transports the listener from a California desert to a rainy day in the streets of Paris. He wrote this song upon turning 27, an age many musicians do not live to see. Musicians in the infamous 27 Club are those who had amazing but short careers due to tragic early deaths. This club includes Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Amy Winehouse and many more. This song is a friendly reminder to see artists as human beings and not to romanticize their work so much that they lose their humanity. We are all guilty of it, even Kandel himself admits that he has “been romanticizing poets again.” Kandel’s music, grounded in the often uncomfortable, sometimes funny but deeply real emotions of growing up, stays true to that message in this track.
“Teeth”
To end this album, Kandel pays tribute to the darker side of being in love: doubt. This song has more tense moments with a heart-wrenching interlude and a raw, almost acoustic ending. “Teeth” is about waiting for someone to love you the way you love them, gritting your teeth through moments of doubt. While this song is a little darker for Kandel, he still infuses some playful folk stylistic moments that keep it lighthearted.
Theo Kandel has perfectly grasped the excitement, stress and joy of your twenties. This album reveals the experience of transitioning from teenage years into young adulthood in a fun and eclectic way, while also grappling with the complexities of relationships and learning to navigate the accompanying tensions.
