By Bob Makin
originally published: 02/27/2026
The Makin Waves Song of the Week is “This Is the Year,” the latest single by Jersey City singer-songwriter Sean Kiely. PHOTO BY AMGHY CHACON
Jersey City singer-songwriter Sean Kiely is readying the fall-bound follow-up to his acclaimed 2024 LP, “Postcards of the Reckoning.”
The first single, “This Is the Year,” is the Makin Waves Song of the Week.
As the Makin Waves Song of the Week, “This Is the Year” also can be heard between 6 and 8 p.m. on Feb. 27 on “Radio Jersey” at ThePenguinRocks.com. If you miss it, you can tune in any time in the archives at The Penguin, Mixcloud and RadioJersey.net.
“This Is the Year” features Juno Award-winning Grenadian-Canadian singer-songwriter Kaia Kater on vocals and banjo. Sean’s and Kaia’s vocals braid together in heavenly harmony, while her banjo adds rhythmic drive and a bright, cutting counterpoint to mellow, sun-tinged ‘70s Laurel Canyon-like guitar tones.
Also joining Sean, who plays guitar and synth, are longtime collaborators Chris Parker on guitar and Bill Campbell on drums, as well as bassist Chris Morrissey, who’s worked with Grammy winner Norah Jones.
Released on New Year’s Day, the breezy, yet sharp-eyed meditation reflects on uncertainty, resilience and living inside an eclectic moment. Sean leans into vivid, off-center images from dying bees and drought to running jokes and a stubborn, hard-won hope that’s as personal as it is universal.
“Putting this out on the first day of the year felt right,” Sean said. “Every New Year’s Day, we wake up and tell ourselves — and anyone who will listen — that this is the year. But this is always the year. It’s a running joke that never quits.”
Releasing the song on Jan. 1 underscores a central tension: the collision between fresh starts and lived reality. “This Is the Year” doesn’t reject the ritual — it gently interrogates it, offering a soundtrack for that moment when resolve is high, expectations are fragile, and anything still feels possible.
Produced by Sean, the single was recorded by Lorenzo Wolff at Restoration Sound in Brooklyn, mixed by Adam Brisbin, and mastered by Nate Wood at Kerseboom Mastering in Queens.
Hear Sean play “This Is the Year” and the rest of his great repertoire live on March 11 at Arthouse Productions, Jersey City, with fellow Jersey City songwriter Sammy Mellman and Brooklyn songstress; April 1, Club Cafe Live, Pittsburgh; April 2, Martha Bassett’s (Radio) Show, WFDD 88.5-FM Elkin, NC; April 3, TBA, Asheville, NC; April 4, Woodshed Arts, Chapel Hill, NC, and May 3 The Scratcher Sessions, New York City.
In the meantime, listen to “This Is the Year” on Apple Music and Spotify.
Bob Makin has produced Makin Waves since 1988. Follow Makin Waves on Facebook and Instagram and contact Bob at [email protected].
New Jersey Stage is proud to be the home of Bob Makin's Makin Waves column since 2017. His Song of the Week column comes out every Friday. He also writes an Album of the Month and Interview of the Month as well.
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