Some songs creep into your ears. Some knock on the door. Days Like These by Frank Joshua? It strolls in with shades on, holding a bouquet of raw optimism, and reorganises the furniture of your mood in a jiffy. It’s that sort of song, the sort that doesn’t merely play, it reconditions the mood.
It’s clear from the opening chords that this is going to be no casual “press play and forget” listen. The piano enters like the first taste of an extremely fine coffee, smooth, warm, and with big promises. Then the gentle horns step in, lending the entire affair a warm sheen like sunlight seeping through the curtains on a do-nothing Sunday morning. And in between the movie electronics and the earthy soulfulness, Frank Joshua’s voice enters, delicate but resolute, like a wise person whispering on a mountaintop.
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And what’s he murmuring about? Change. Inner triumphs. Those fleeting, golden days when everything seems to come together. The traffic lights all turn green. The coffee is just right. Your hair looks great. Your email box is magically empty. Life, for a change, seems to be working in your favour rather than against you. That’s what Days Like These explores, the short-lived elation of all the pieces coming together for that one brief moment.
Frank Joshua is able to reconcile introspection with uplift with an ease that feels natural. It’s not too sugary or preachy, not toxic positivity at all. Rather, the song finds a soulful honesty that both remembers fragility and rejoices in strength. It’s less “life is perfect” and more “sometimes life gives you a break, and wow, isn’t that worth singing about?”
The production is worthy of its own standing ovation. This is no over-cluttered, over-produced disaster. The layering is intentional, the textures dense but not cloying. Each sound has its context, whether that’s the heartbeat rhythm of the electronics, the accents of the horns that add some colour to the picture, or the piano that grounds everything. Picture James Blake taking his vacation with Bon Iver, and Peter Gabriel calling round with a bottle of wine, that’s the audio dinner party that’s taking place here.
But don’t let’s forget the vibe, because the vibe is perfect. This song doesn’t merely sound good, it feels good. It should be included on playlists with titles such as “Morning Motivation,” “Soulful Chill,” and “Songs To Pretend You’re In a Movie To.” It’s malleable: you can employ it to score a walk in the park, a thoughtful journal session, or even a solo dance party in the kitchen. It’s cinematic, yet also intensely personal, the uncommon combination of breadth and closeness.
What makes Days Like These so much fun is the way it quietly refuses to follow standard pop rules. No tinny drop, no flashy hook built to trend on TikTok for twelve seconds. It’s something else entirely. It’s a patient one. It’s a confident one. It knows if you let it, it’ll burrow its way into your bones and have you feeling lighter than you did when you pressed play.
Lyrically, Frank Joshua doesn’t overwhelm the message. He keeps it simple, sincere, and universal. He’s not penning for algorithms, he’s penning for anyone who’s ever experienced a moment of quiet triumph, no matter how small. You don’t have to be scaling Everest; sometimes just getting through the week is enough cause for celebration. Days Like These is like a pat on the back, a reminder that you’re doing better than you realise.
By the time the song fades, you’re left with a strange combination of calm and energy, like you’ve just meditated and chugged a Red Bull. That’s a rare trick to pull off, but Joshua does it with style.
So here’s the verdict: Days Like These is more than a song; it’s a mood-reset button. It’s a sonic pep talk delivered in soulful instrumentation and topped with vocals that invite you to close your eyes and breathe out. Play it when you need a pick-me-up, when you’re in pursuit of clarity, or when you want to remind yourself that the best days don’t have to be monumental, they just have to be yours.
