it's immediately clear that you put a ton of effort into this one, it feels like you've unlocked this song to its full potential, whereas your Round 0 entry still felt like a sketch in some ways. I really like how you've used the layered guitar lines to build into the chorus, which really soars at the end with those harmony vocals. My main criticism is that your take on the challenge feels a little more of an afterthought to me than some of the other songs; the lyrics as a whole are strong but I'd have loved to hear the step-by-step stuff used to greater effect.

This belongs in the soundtrack for the hit 2003 film Holes starring a young shia labeouf. Really a bop

Nice work getting reinstated and surviving to fight on! I don’t find the music for this song terribly interesting for me personally, but it’s well performed and a good groove, and the lyrics are much more interesting than last week’s. The first few lines really grab you and I love that you’re leaning into that emotional space. The phrase “I’ll feed in time my ticker” struck me as really awkward, though, and the “take steps…” stuff fulfills the challenge but kind of feels shoehorned in there content-wise.

Ugh, yes, please, more of this style. Your voice fits into this dark country / rock aesthetic, and I would listen to more. I do have a note that your first verse feels a little weak, but I don't have any issues with the second verse, so I'm guessing one of them got more takes and/or production love.

congrats on reinstatement! This feels like a classic rock song. I’d like to talk about your vocals. You have a good sound, and it’s very true to you- I can tell it’s your voice, not an affectation. When you sing more quietly, though, particularly at the start, you lose control over your tuning. This is especially clear because of your doubles vocals, which don’t always line up. It also sounds like they don’t agree on the tune all the time. A little more energy in the breath as you sing will help with that. You don’t have to sing louder there, just more intentionally. Great playing. The lick in the bass is quite satisfying, and I really like the intro and play out.