Today, independent artist AJR released a single titled “Way Less Sad”. This was a much-anticipated release after the announcement of their upcoming album, “OK ORCHESTRA”, on December 20, 2020. This is the fourth single released from the album and is said to be the last before the album drops on March 26. A music video to “Way Less Sad” premiered on YouTube at 10 a.m.

Musically, the song matches much of what AJR has done in the past. With its upbeat tempo and use of the trumpet, it’s very on point with the signature AJR sound. The music video also has AJR up to their normal shenanigans. The band is jumping around and dancing while shooting in different locations, including a carousel, long hallway with a luggage cart and even a set where Jack is hanging upside down. All of this helps connect the energy of the song to the lyrics being sung.

The lyrics of “Way Less Sad” follow a path of discussing mental health. The song starts by calling out when people say they are okay, or doing fine, but in reality, don’t feel this way. It then turns to talk about moving this stance to getting better and enjoying some of the things you do have. The main line of the song is, “Don’t you love it? Don’t you love it? No, I ain’t happy yet; But I’m way less sad”, which really sells the point that you can still be struggling, but also making progress. The overall theme I found in the song was to celebrate the little things. Life is definitely not perfect, but you’ve come this far and that’s worth recognition.

As the last of the singles makes its way to our ears, we’re excited to hear more of what will come with “OK ORCHESTRA”, which is set to be released on March 26. However, if you can’t wait, the other three songs “Bang!”, “My Play” and “Bummerland” are out now, along with their past three studio albums.