Whoops, listened to the leak. Yeah this is awesome. Loser Pt 2 and Generation Loss are ridiculously great. Very happy for them and really hope to see them blow up.
Never listened to these before (seen the name but had them down as some sort of goofy thing) Just listened to the album driving home from seeing Kevin Devine - Holy balls this thing is immense!
The lyrics to Dolores are something else. Man... "But they're "praying for you"..." This album is exactly what we need with all of the bullshit going on in the world.
I had the same feelings listening to this for the first time that I had hearing Suburbia and The Greatest Generation when they came out. There's a similar catharsis in a lot of these lines where you know people will be screaming along with their fists in the air and getting the words tattooed into their skin. These songs are anthems for a generation that's been told to pick itself up by its bootstraps their whole life, doing that, and still not 'making it.' These songs put words and music to feelings that so many of us have: the ever-present bleakness, the world-is-ending 24/7 newscycle, self-medicating/looking up your symptoms because you can't afford a doctor or a therapist, and death, yet still scratching and clawing to be an optimist and putting on a brave face. I didn't know I needed an album like this until I got it, and I'm really thankful to have it.
Yeah, "Losers, Pt. 2" is the jam that encapsulates all that in 4 minutes. I have similar feelings to you though. It's awesome.
Yes to all of this. Yes. One of those albums that instantly fills me with energy when I put it on. I fully expect SLS to become one of my favorite bands after Schmaltz and this. Love the record.
Went to my best friend's father's shitty Catholic funeral this morning, then came home to my vinyl pre-order of this. Fitting. Can't wait to give it a listen when I get home from work.
I owe Schmaltz a lot of credit for getting me through the absolute hardest time I've ever had in my life (fall of 2018 - a good portion of 2019.) A band I'd just discovered hadn't hit me that hard since The Wonder Years did with The Upsides in 2010. I'm in a significantly better place now, but this record speaks to so much of what I was feeling at the time, maybe even more so than Schmaltz. This is incredible. There are so many people who need, or are going to need this album. Also, the Red/Black/Bone pinwheel vinyl is gorgeous. Damn. So glad I chose that one.
Well....this album is really good. This is having a bad day kind of music but Knowing you’re not alone. I kind of feel like need to comfort the lead singer.
If there's one complaint, I do feel that a lot of this kinda blends together/is same-y. That's how I felt with the last one too, though. Delores is a cool departure
Is it just feel or does this feel even darker than Schmaltz on first listen? I'm digging it a lot, but this might be the darkest punk album I've listened to since Captain We're Sinking's The Future is Cancelled.
It’s dark in a different way than Schmaltz, I think. There are so many direct, candid lyrics about how much it sucks to be poor and hopeless, even more so than the previous album.
That's probably why I'm getting this vibe then...usually lyrical content is a bit more subtle. Not that it's a bad thing. I just think I'm thrown back by it a bit because my personal mental health is a lot better than back when I got into Schmaltz. A lot of the content in that album about doubting yourself, your own identity, and anxiety just hit right on the nose at that point in my life. We'll see how this one grows over time for me. Musically, it's a step up above Schmaltz so I'm really impressed as a whole.
I'm in a similar boat. Much better place mentally than when Schmaltz came out, so this is hitting me differently. I can still identify with these feelings even if I don't feel a lot of them anymore. It's kind of nice to look back on it instead of feel like you're in the middle of it. Given the current political climate, though, I do a lot of thinking about this subject matter - crushing debt, stagnancy, etc. So, it's all still very relevant to me. Still very dark, just in a different way.
On a light note, I was reading the liner notes with the vinyl and laughed out loud when I saw that Dylan’s publishing company is called Large Adult Son Music.
I haven't listened with headphones yet, so I've been unable to tell - is there a reprise of the album's choruses buried underneath the final minute or so of the title track? I can't make it out, but I thought I heard some lines.
I swear I hear that too but it’s hard to tell. They did the reprise thing on Schmaltz too so I’m glad they mixed it so low if they did it again, but it could really be anything. The official lyrics don’t have anything for that part.
Yeah, I was following along with the insert and noticed there was nothing there. At first I thought the final little verse was what was buried underneath, but then Dylan's voice comes back. Listening a couple times this afternoon, I think I can hear "we're just so fucking tired" and "dead dogs on the road."