Longfriend Timefriend If Me Dies, Me Dies LP
Melody-driven, jangle-conscious punk songs budding and popping to life all over this South Philly band’s If Me Dies, Me Dies LP. LONGFRIEND TIMEFRIEND fits in perfectly with JEFF ROSENSTOCK, NANA GRIZOL, RADIATOR HOSPITAL, and such. There are several songs on this record that people should hear if only because dealing with parents and bullies that extend into adulthood is a real and valid thing that all too often seems to get shuttered away as obstacles only faced in adolescence. Somewhere since the emo explosion of the ’90s, vague dream journal lyrics became hyper-specific points in time that are identifiable while congruently unknown, eliciting more of an empathy for the moment contrary to appreciating the prose; does that even make sense? Moving on, these seem like songs that would be hard to sing along with live, but I bet it happens due to the raw undercurrent that lets this flow effortlessly from one song to the next. Look, you already know if you’re gonna grab this. Look, also, I have to be honest, I don’t know if this is good or not good, but it feels authentic, thoughtful, and reformative. Now you try.