When We Were Young Is Canceled This Year, So Feel Young With a Drama Hit Instead

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Emo Kids Anonymous talked with Fred from Cute is What We Aim For. He expands on the Paramore statements, claims John Feldmann is the reason the band broke up, and discussed various controversies surrounding the band.

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I had heard of the band back in the day but never listened to them. Something about that name just irked me. My first introduction to Fred was on TikTok where he said CIWWAF was better than Paramore, that they should be at the same level of notoriety, yada yada. Talk about sounding like a high school football player saying he coulda gone pro LOL. What a loser. He also agreed with somebody in the comments who called Hayley Williams a sellout. Guy just reeks of jealously. So embarrassing. Your band had an opportunity and fell flat on its face because you (and especially your shitty lead singer) suck.

 

well, I can't spend too much time listening to this... but THANK YOU John Feldmann. One of your greatest achievements then!

EDIT: ok, dude, you really think your band didn't do as well as Paramore did because of (essentially) how your sophomore LP was mixed? oh dear... (that's where I'm stepping out - someone might mention if there's anything more worthwile further into the interview, but no pressure hahh)

 

I once had my pants shucked to my ankles at my 13th birthday party in front of a girl I had a crush on and still the most embarrassing thing I can think of is that I liked this band's album when it first came out.

 

Not to be rude to Fred, but I think he might just be kind of a dumb guy in a band of dumb guys and that's why they didn't do as well as Paramore.

 

Their first record and Paramore's first record were around the same time, Cute opened for Paramore and sold a bunch of copies of that debut (and won a Purevolume contest to play HFStival), but their members are pretty damn toxic and they couldn't maintain a solid lineup to save their lives. Very much an "of their time" band that burned out quickly due to unreliable members who weren't prepared to be in a band.

 

There's a lot of bands from around that time that should have been bigger than Paramore. Just Surrender, The Audition, Every Avenue, Amber Pacific, Hit the Lights etc. All those bands were better. But that's the music industry, it's a lot of luck and timing.

 

I can sort of imagine what a modern version of those bands would sound like (and just listen to new HTL), but I can't for the life of me think of what ICIWWAF would be in 2026.

Also tried listening to them again for the first time since 2009(?). Remembered why I didn't vibe with it.

 

I want to see The Audition live! I listen to them on a regular basis still

 

If you’re near the Midwest, Danny Stevens is on tour with Park playing those songs live.

Maybe those bands were better than AWKIF, but Riot was a juggernaut and Brand New Eyes tops anything any of those bands released a couple of times over.

 

Eh…. But no they weren’t?

 

I used to merch for them back in the day, they had a hell of a run on victory though never got to that next level.

 

I remember at an old Slam Dunk Festival, CIWWAF headlined but Shaant the lead singer didn't travel so they had to get people from different bands to sing the songs. I remember Josh from You Me At Six sang Doctor

 

you cannot really think this hahaha

 

The “Amber Pacific was better than Paramore” is certainly an opinion though isn’t it. I don’t mean to be rude, they had some fun songs, but come ON!

 

I somehow missed the Cute Is What We Aim For train back in the day, and boy I'm glad I did. Fred talks a big game for a band that is just...so mid.

 

I'll be honest they were a guilty pleasure of mine in my teenage years but man that first album does not age well. I was always disappointed we didn't get a follow up to Rotation, but yeah all the members seem like absolute terrible people.

 

mid is extremely generous.

 

This has gotta be bait.

 

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bro be serious lmao

 

SensesFailguitar would make sense but prolly not haha love forums

 

just surrender was solid af but needed more "singles" to get ahead of the curve like the bands they're compared with of the time

 

“All those bands were better”
“it’s a lot of luck and timing”

Hayley Williams, as a singer, is in a complete other galaxy than any of the bands listed. Not even just within the scene Paramore was/is a part of; she can hold her own with any singer of the last two decades, period. Then you factor in her songwriting and her live presence? She is a singular, generational talent.

Fuck outta here with any band you wanna list, nobody comes close.

Also, Fred from CIWWAF, if you come across this, fuck you. Fuck all the way off, talking bout how your band was better than Paramore and would be just as big. I could laugh you out of the room for a year straight and it still wouldn’t be enough.

 

bring the heat! this is what Im talking about!

And yeah the dudes band name is literally "Cute is What We Aim For". I could name my band "The Belly Button Bungholes" and it would still be a better band name.