Counting down my favorite songs from the new John Mayer album, Sob Rock…
#2. ‘New Light’
‘New Light’ is the oldest song on Sob Rock, having been released as a single way back in 2018, so it feels a little weird to write about it as a favorite song from this album when it’s been a favorite on its own for three years.
But I don’t want to penalize such a stellar track because it’s not brand-new. And the song fits just beautifully on the album sonically, making me wonder if Mayer had this 80s-inspired project in mind for all these years.
An ode to unrequited love that’s as cool and smooth as a late-night drive down neon-lit streets, ‘New Light’ is the very definition of a vibe.
Throw in a funky instrumental bridge and one of Mayer’s trademark short but sweet guitar solos and you’ve got a track worth listening to on repeat.
I’m the boy in your other phone
Lighting up inside your drawer at home, all alone
Pushing 40 in the friend zone
We talk and then you walk away, every day
Oh, you don’t think twice ’bout me
And maybe you’re right to doubt me, but
[Chorus]
But if you give me just one night
You’re gonna see me in a new light
Yeah, if you give me just one night
To meet you underneath the moonlight
Oh, I want a take two, I want to break through
I wanna know the real thing about you
So I can see you in a new light
[Verse 2]
Take a ride up to Malibu
I just wanna sit and look at you, look at you
What would it matter if your friends knew?
Who cares what other people say, anyway
Oh, we can go far from here
And make a new world together, babe
[Chorus]
‘Cause if you give me just one night
You’re gonna see me in a new light
Yeah, if you give me just one night
To meet you underneath the moonlight
Oh, I want a take two, I want to break through
I wanna know the real thing about you
So I can see you in a new light
[Chorus]
Yeah, if you give me just one night
You’re gonna see me in a new light
Yeah, if you give me just one night
To meet you underneath the moonlight
[Outro]
What do I do with all this, what do I do with all this
Love that’s runnin’ through my veins for you?
What do I do with all this, what do I do with all this
Love that’s runnin’ through my veins for you?
What do I do with all this, what do I do with all this
Love that’s runnin’ through my veins for you?
What do I do with all this, what do I do with all this
Ooh, yeah
Meet Me In Montauk 
This is a pleasant pop song, but “it’s not Coldplay. It’s not Fix You.”
I’ve loved this song since I came out and I echo your sentiments that it felt weird hearing it on the album in a “new light” if you will compared to the rest of the tracks when I’d been jamming to it for quite a while. For me I’ve always associated this song with new beginnings. It’s got the kind of fresh, breezy vibe that just encourages optimism. I love the guitar breakdown, it’s one of Mayer’s funkiest yet and the “Autumn Leaves” inspired solo!