Pete Price’s new single “This Time” is a roguish, spirited testament to reinvention—a full-throttle assertion that the artist is no longer a relic bound by the expectations of his past. In a career that has weathered decades in rock’s turbulent streets, Price now spits in the face of consistency, choosing instead to navigate a terrain of self-discovery and renewal.
From the opening bars, the song’s Americana-tinged chords and aching harmonies are reminiscent of a stripped-down, honest rock tradition—a nod to the likes of Springsteen and Browne, yet with a modern update. “This Time” isn’t just another single; it’s a declaration. The track’s reflective lyrics and dreamy, yet determined, delivery challenge the listener to accept that transformation is not only inevitable but to be celebrated. Rumbling under Price’s gravelly vocals, Casey Davis’s electric guitar and Allen Seals’s mandolin weave a textured soundscape that is as much a journey through memory as it is a passage to a new dawn.
Price’s lyrical narrative, which speaks both to personal liberation and the courage to leave behind the yoke of former identities, strikes a chord in a world where consistency is often mistaken for conformity. It’s a bold message: You owe no allegiance to the persona once cherished by others; you owe only your evolving truth. This sentiment is rendered with an earnestness that harkens back to rock’s greatest anthems of change and rebellion.
Standing on the shoulders of his past—with memorable outings alongside icons and the longing legacy of The Fries Band—Price now steers his career into uncharted waters. “This Time” is not merely a song; it is an invitation to shed the weight of history and to embrace the liberating, albeit uncertain, promise of transformation. In doing so, he taps into a timeless vein of rock’s soul, infusing it with a delicate balance of introspection and raw determination.
In the end, “This Time” is a rousing call to reinvention, a live-wire burst of creative energy from an artist who has always thrived on defying labels. Price may have journeyed far from his early glories, but with this track, he reminds us that the road to authenticity is paved with change—and that this time, indeed, will be different.
-Dave Marisch
