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Photo: Stefan Kohli

The past odd year will likely be a distinctive outlier in our lives, yet, by the same coin, it is a period of time that will also exist as a shared commonality in our collective consciousness. A period of time where days bled into weeks, which, before we knew it, soon bled into months. This collective minutiae of everyday life in quarantine builds the emotional backbone of Jeremy Zucker and Alexander 23's soft-spoken pop stunner, "Nothing's the same."

While it may not have been the newfound duo's original intent, "Nothing's the same" captures the abnormality of our new collective normal. Shying just short of the three-minute mark, overarching themes of self-imposed isolation and dissociation arrive as uncanny parallels to our current state of being.

And while it may be difficult to deny the more somber elements of "Nothing's the same," there is an unrelenting and breathtaking quality to the entire affair. Existing in the tender space between folk and pop, Zucker and Alexander 23's heart-rending lyrics flow out like stream-of-conscious poetry atop subtle ripples of beautifully understated production.

The lyrics "Nothing's the same as it was before / Lost track of time at the grocery store / Wondering if I've felt this way forever" hit especially close to home for anyone who has ever felt unstuck in time, momentarily trapped in an instance of reflection. Both talented songwriters in their own right, taken together, Zucker and Alexander 23 elevate one another's innate gift for transforming commonplace occurrences and insecurities into feelings and experiences that feel wholly universal yet intimate.

"Nothing's the same" marks the end of a standout year for both Zucker and Alexander 23, with the former releasing his long-awaited debut album, love is not dying, in April and the latter releasing the breakout hit  "IDK You Yet" earlier this year.  

Listen to "Nothing's the same" below: