"One Less Day (Dying Young)" by Rob Thomas - Single Review

   When he is not fronting alternative rock band Matchbox Twenty – their last record North was released in 2012 – American singer-songwriter Rob Thomas keeps busy with a solo career of his own.

   Following a stellar debut, with …Something to Be hitting the number one spot on the Billboard 200, lead single “Lonely No More” reaching the top ten, Thomas followed up with the critically-acclaimed Cradlesong a few years later and his latest full-length project The Great Unknown released in 2015.

   To prep for his upcoming fourth studio album Chip Tooth Smile, out in April, the artist has shared the effort’s lead single, the thunderous and encouraging “One Less Day (Dying Young)”. The new track exchanges some of the uptempo pop instrumentals featured on previous releases in exchange for pounding drums and a focus on a strong, retrospective vocal performance.

   “This is an anthem about life and living”, Thomas says of the single in a press release. “Living one more day is a privilege not afforded to everyone, so do all you can with the ones you get.”

   “One Less Day (Dying Young)” finds the artist singing of relishing in and appreciating each day, living as if it were your last, and with an added dose of reality, unfortunately sings that some of his close friends no longer have the opportunity. “So I drink and love and whisper all the things I know are right, someday I will leave this world but maybe not tonight,” he sings on a second verse, just before the enlightening chorus rolls through again.

   There is a comforting sense of optimism and understanding brewing under Thomas’ vocals as he remains defiant in living his best possible life. The understanding likely stems from the artist's own troubled past, previously homeless and addicted to drugs before connecting with Matchbox Twenty. With that knowledge, "One Less Day (Dying Young)" becomes much more personal, carrying the resonating weight we've come to expect from Thomas' solo work.

   To coincide with the song's release, and inspired by a featured lyric, the music video in support of "One Less Day (Dying Young)" is kept clean and simple, and finds the artist in a room surrounded by hundreds of candles as they slowly burn out. All of our hourglasses may have already been flipped, but it's up to us to determine what we do with the time we have.