Santa Cruz–based artist Brock Davis crafts an intimately personal array of captivating songwriting on Nothing Lasts Forever, a deeply lived-in album shaped by love, loss, and a real-life health scare during its creation. Blending folk, rock, and country, Davis’ storytelling embraces impermanence with warmth, grit, and hard-earned optimism throughout — capturing life’s beautiful moments and hardships alike, and how they culminate into an existence deeply worth celebrating.
“All of You” opens the album with a powerful display of Davis’ heartfelt songwriting. Twangy guitars, lush acoustic strums, and twinkling piano guide with immersive charm into vocals that express a profound appreciation for their significant other. “We’ve been through a lot together, every day I know you better,” Davis’ vocals let out, embracing the beauty of a love that endures through both hardship and celebration. “I love all of you,” he professes into magnetic guitar tones and blaring organs, making for a resonating track, which Davis wrote about his wife. “Nowhere Near Ready” arrives next with a more somber, reflective quality. “A part of my heart was always yours,” he laments amidst trickling, melancholic acoustics — reminiscing on youthful love, and how some people can meet too soon despite being a match. The album’s opening one-two punch shows Davis’ ability to traverse across both glowing love-inspired ardor and heartbreaking balladry.
The quality songwriting continues throughout the album, with its title track being a particular standout. “I’ve seen a lot of summers come and go,” Davis’ vocals ascend into a bursting, title-bearing hook, where jangling guitars and “keep holding on” encouragements of perseverance stir. Tracing life’s highs and lows — and how you’ve got to go “through the dark to find the light” — is conveyed impactfully on the standout “Nothing Lasts Forever,” which captures the album’s celebratory outlook on life, even through its hardships — from “years we were barely talking” to brighter times. “Make Your Own Change” is another highlight with similarly imparted wisdom. “My world fell apart, and I crashed so hard,” the down-on-your-luck lyricism exudes, then attaining a motivational ethos rather than wallowing in self-pity; the push to “make your own change” delights amidst frolicking guitar tones and harmonious vocals.
While much of the album’s song enamor in relatable statements on life’s dynamic journey, some tracks succeed with more specific topical pursuits. “Miracle On The Hudson” is a narrative-rich account of the emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549, flown by Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger. “There’s a bang, and the smell of smoke,” Davis sings as piano, guitars, and organs intertwine, its “dropping fast” momentum continuing into a gorgeous valuing of life/existence following the miracle. The track consumes in its evident appreciation for life and how clarity tends to come with experience, in some cases being traumatic personal tumult. Such is also the case in “Daddy’s Girl,” where one attempts to balance unconditional love for a father whilst tragically awaiting their mutual affection. Closing track “A Daughter” is similarly impactful, traversing with autobiographical prowess as Davis recounts vivid childhood recollections, particularly the discovery of a new older sister following his mother’s passing. Nothing Lasts Forever is a grippingly sincere, personal listening experience from Brock Davis.
Nothing Lasts Forever releases on February 27th.
