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You Blew It! - “Grow Up, Dude”
I listen a lot of music, and on rare occasions I feel compelled to write up a little something regarding an album I’ve listened to. On average, I’ll listen to 200+ new releases from a given year - that’s albums and EPs. Now when I say I rarely do these write ups, I mean I rarely do these write ups. Over the past two years, 2010 and 2011, I’ve written something like this up for one album and it was last year’s release by La Dispute.
But then, on April 24, Topshelf Records released You Blew It!’s debut full length album entitled Grow Up, Dude.
“When will I see that superstitions mean everything?”
Although the short, 46 second title track starts things off, the second track, “Pinball House” is where the album truly feels like it begins. These songs all radiate a sort of positive vibe, and “Pinball House” is certainly no exception, ending with the hopeful lines “We made our way through state lines and ended up alone on the road, so complete though, searching for something we thought we’d never find. I found home.” The lyrical content throughout the album is something that every late teen to young 20 something can relate to - feelings of lost love or friendship, or the need to find yourself or simply having a good time. The songs provide a safe haven of sorts, something to listen to and embrace when the only cure for the way you’re feeling is music.
The 5th track, entitled “Medal Of Honor,” may just be the highlight. It starts off with an inquisitive yell, “Are you kidding me? Because you’ve got to be joking on a night like tonight especially.” This song is the type that couldn’t be more perfect for driving around with the windows down and yelling along at the top of your lungs, not giving a fuck who hears or sees you. But that’s what all these songs are - they’re relatable anthems that’ll change your mood and mindset in the best way possible.
If “Medal Of Honor” isn’t the best track then it’s simply got to be “The One With Marc.” To be completely honest, I’m not sure I’ve ever related as closely to a song as I have with this one. “I’m still lacking confidence in what I’m saying, and I’m not feeling better about anything.” These lyrics resonate with me like no others, and I’m sure they resonate with many other people just like me. The best songs are always the ones that you can relate to, and this album is chock full of those.
The album ends with the song “There’s Nothing I Love More Than Baseball,” and this song wraps up the album quite nicely. It’s one of the calmer, more subdued songs on the album and is a fitting end, sticking with the overall theme and keeping that hopeful yet introspective vibe going. “When will we see that superstitions won’t do anything? When will I see that superstitions won’t do anything?”
This is not an album that you simply listen to. This is an album that you feel and connect with. I’m not going to slap some arbitrary number out of 10 onto this album and say it’s a score. It’s better than that. It’s better than a number or letter grade and it’s different for every single person. The enjoyment you receive from this album will depend on your experiences and feelings, and I feel as if a score will only degrade that.
Grow Up, Dude. I think I did.
You Blew It! // The One With Marc
It’s about time that I start pulling myself together, because my poor excuses for progress are simply postponing the process of gaining confidence in what I’m saying and feeling better about who I’m singing about these days. It’s about time that I stopped gracelessly falling to pieces because my refusal to take any right steps is simply weighing down my friendships and finding me questioning every decision. At least you’re making an impression. What if I tried pretending that the two of us were completely and utterly blameless? I’ve written an ending involving a shaved face and some better posture…I’m hoping. These days I’m a mess of mistakes and awkwardness.
Hightide Hotel // Your Bed
Our fourth week in bed you said to me
With undertones of dread that he
Was riding the rails and would be
Visiting the city that week
You recommended that I leave
And I reluctantly agreed
Then when he blew his funds on weed
You dialed and whispered to me
“Come home, boy, I’m lonely and you are my only joy
Come home, boy, I’m all alone, boy.”
Most days I don’t answer my phone
Most days I crave to be alone
You Blew It! // Just To Make A Sound
Playing records through the night and staring at the moon light.
I’ve never felt so calm, and that’s all I’ll ever need.
Algernon Cadwallader - “Look Down (Because the Ground Is Easier to Understand and Doesn’t Take So Much Work to Figure Out But I’d Rather Not Know Where I’m Standing and Have An Idea of What Life Is All About)”
