Taylor Acorn: Survival in Motion

There is one point in Survival in Motion where Taylor Acorn mentions an “out of body experience,” and I feel like I came close to that while listening to this Nashville-based artist’s debut LP. This doesn’t happen every day. A lot of really good records enter and exit my inbox daily, but rarely is there one I personally dig. It’s not to say I don’t like the rest but there’s a difference between appreciating a good piece of music and tucking a piece of music close to your heart. Survival in Motion is in the latter because it reminds me of college when I spent more time in cramped venues than in class. 

Like Taylor Acorn, I came up in the pop-punk realm that was the 2000s. Back then it was hard to find someone like her. Why? Well, people with that pronoun just didn’t exist as often on Warped stages or in the pages of Alternative Press. A shame, really. However, we’re starting to see that era’s influence and from that, albums like Survival in Motion. An album thats title track is on the same wavelength as the latest offerings from Halsey. You could play that track and “Greener” on the same playlist with Halsey’s “Ego” and be more than satisfied with your mix. Toss in the lyrical wonder found in “Nervous System” as well as “Be Like You” and nothing but good times will be had. Which, if anyone with ties to the movie realm is reading, please use “Be Like You” in a teen movie. It’s one of those songs you find and immediately place in the trailer of the next coming-of-age classic. 

Again, there are elements that will make those who are already enamored with Halsey’s latest musical shift, shift towards Taylor Acorn as well. There were also times during “People Watching” that felt reminiscent of what We Are The In Crowd did when they matured a bit on 2014’s Weird Kids. There were also moments when 19-year-old me was awakened when “Applause” made me think some hidden Fall Out Boy track had suddenly made its way to my earbuds. Not bad for a debut album. It’s no wonder she found herself on tour with the likes of emo royalty this year, Dashboard Confessional. 

Elder Emo Kids like myself often wonder if that era of music can ever be replicated. If there can ever be another wave of killer pop-punk music that stands up to what we steeped ourselves in back in our prime. Anyone over 30 reading, yes – it’s possible, and music just as good as then does exist and artists like Taylor Acorn are creating it. So check out Survival in Motion, out now and available on all major streaming and music platforms. 

Taylor Acorn Survival in Motion
Release Date: September 13, 2024
Genre: Pop-Punk, Powerpop
Reasons to Sing Along: “Survival in Motion,” “Greener,” and “Be Like You”