82. Single Review of The One Good Thing by Upwood Avenue

Originally Published on January 24th

About the Artist

“O me! What fray was here? Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all. Here’s much to do with hate but more with love. Why then, O brawling love, O loving hate, O anything of nothing first create? O heavy lightness, serious vanity, misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms, feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health, still-waking sleep that is not what it is! This love feel I, that feel no love in this.” (Romeo, from The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, W. Shakespeare)

I first read Shakespeare’s play when I was 14 years old. It happened to be the same year Baz Luhrman took the world by storm with his incredible film, Romeo + Juliet, catapulting the careers of that kid from What's Eating Gilbert Grape and the cute girl from My So Called Life. 

Even before the digital age, getting a high school freshman interested in reading a 400 year old Shakespearean play was not an easy task. Looking back though, I really don’t know why. Honestly, the assist from the popularity of Luhrman’s film was pivotal in piquing my interest, so I can be thankful that the release coincided with my assignment of reading the play in my freshman English class. 

I was obsessed with every part of the play. I still am, in fact, if you remember I have mentioned before. I memorized several lines. I had a crush on Claire Danes. I started wearing Hawaiian shirts like a fool. Like a damn fool! The play was third person, but I related heavily with Romeo’s character. I had a “Juliet” that I was crazy in love with, that was in a relationship with somebody else, or angry with me for one reason or another, who I could never seem to woo. I also sympathized with peace-keeping, which seemed to be a mantra for the young Romeo. The monologue I referenced was my favorite of the play. After just telling his cousin, Benvolio, that he was in love with a young woman who joined a convent, he discovered that Benvolio and the Montague’s had been involved in a street brawl with the family’s rivaled enemies, the Capulets. Rather than excitement, a concern for who won, or an anger at his family’s rival, Romeo admonishes his cousin and asked the beautiful question “What are we fighting for?”

I recognized then that Romeo had important things to say. A fact that has clearly has not eluded Upwood Avenue. This band, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada are a folk rock group who enjoy the task of telling thought-provoking stories and do it through their diversity of influences. In their latest release, they focused on the perspective of Romeo Montague and the tragically beautiful last days of his life.

Since 2023, Upwood Avenue have released 6 singles, with Thunder being their first, debuting on August 11th. Their breakout single, Two Souls, released in February of 2024, and has already been streamed nearly 360,000 times in less than a year! Harnessing a classic sound paired with a contemporary flair, Upwood Avenue have garnered a respected following with their catchy sound and creative writing style. 

About the Song

The One Good Thing Is the 7th studio single released by Upwood Avenue since 2023. At nearly 4 minutes, 30 seconds, it releases today, January 24th, 2025. A slow groove, The One Good Thing retells the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet from the perspective of Romeo Montegue.

About the Music

The One Good Thing is a softer rock song, played in a groove tempo that teases a driving build throughout the chorus.

At the introduction, there is a picked acoustic part and a picked electric part that leads over a rock organ that anchors the progression. The vocals come in shortly after the introduction and the band slowly adds in after the vocals, with the bass sliding in on the root notes, finally the drums fill into the chorus. 

The vocal performance is definitely rock, with the lead singer showcasing a lovely raspiness to their voice. He gives a baritone to tenor performance with the song staying in the mid to high vocal range. Aside from the rasp, there’s not a lot of ornamentation in the performance by way of vocal runs or vibrato, though the vocal part is performed with some vibrato.

Instrumentally, the root instruments stay home with their performance, with the blend merging together in a very orchestrated fashion. Additionally, there are also synthetic strings and chimes performed over the band as well. A key element to the band performance is the layered electric guitar single-note performance in the chorus that gives a nice bluesey sound to the overall production.

About the Lyrics

Lyrically, as mentioned before, The One Good This is performed in the perspective of Romeo. It seems to hone in on Romeo’s banishment from Verona, and Romeo is addressing Juliet. Coincidentally, I wrote a song from the perspective of Romeo during his banishment that I released back in 2016 called Letters to Mantua. 

“I’m ready to go but I have nowhere to go to. I’m ready to go but I’m not ready to let go. There’s nothing left for me, I won’t last for a minute. If I can’t have you then my life ain’t worth living.” 

I interpret this as the first line being Romeo is ready to leave Mantua but he is unable to return to Verona, due to his banishment. The second line seems to say he’s ready to die but he’s not ready to lose his love for Juliet. The third and fourth line are responding to the news received that Juliet has died. 

“You’re the one good thing. You’re the one good thing. You’re the one good thing I never expected. The one good thing, the perfect addiction. You’re the one good thing, my favorite obsession. The one good thing”

The chorus is a direct and eloquent depiction of Juliet’s influence in Romeo’s life.

I think the lyrics have nicely articulated this moment within the play. They’re not so direct as to tell the listener exactly what is happening, leaving room for interpretation. However, they still succeed in telling the story.

Final Thoughts

It is very clear that Upwood Avenue  know what they are doing. With a steady stream of more than 6,000 monthly listeners, their music has been catching the ears of fans for the last two years. Listening to their catalog of work, this comes to no surprise to me. Their music walks the tightrope between genres like traditional rock, alt rock, and sometimes even hinting at blues and roots music. Being some of the most popular genres in the music industry, they have methodically produced a sound that casts a wide net to attracting a loyal audience. 

Their production value is nearly flawless and they produce very relatable lyrical content, posing questions we all ask, offering perspective we all think about, and giving their own unique insight to these topics that get the audience thinking. All to the melodies that one cannot resist tapping their foot to. 

Upwood Avenue is a band we can all get behind. I imagine they put on an exciting live performance. If you’re interested in learning more or hearing more from Upwood Avenue, you can follow them on Spotify, as well as track any updates on shows, releases, and other news from their instagram, threads accounts.

The One Good Thing releases today, January 24th and is available to stream on all major streaming platforms. Go check them out today!