Happy Monday and welcome back from Fest. Would you like the bad news or the good news first? OK, the bad news. First, you did a cannonball with your shorts on and your keys are stuck in a pool filter back in Gainesville so good luck getting into your house today. Second, remember when for some reason you thought it would be a good idea to store your cash in an empty PBR can “for safe’s keepings?” Well, for so many reasons, that was a bad idea. And lastly, that person you met on Tinder has left you four voicemails, 16 texts, and one Facebook friend request. The texts contain several instances of the phrase “just got out of a relationship.” OK, now the good news. The Sidekicks have a new album coming out.
The Sidekicks seem intent on evolving with each release. On their 2007 debut, So Long, Soggy Dog, the Cleveland band proved that they can lay down some poppy frenetic punk with the best of ’em. So Long was the album you make when you’re young and pissed off. But on their last two albums, 2009’s Weight of Air and 2012’s Awkward Breeds, the band has grown up and—gasp—matured with their sound. On “Deer,” the first song released from their forthcoming album, Runners in the Nerved World, we see The Sidekicks swimming out even further into the soothing waters of 90s nostalgia, something they were drifting towards on Awkward Breeds. And while Runners does pack much of the same punch that long-time fans of The Sidekicks have come to love, tracks like “Deer” slow things down a bit, reminding us that The Sidekicks are a multi-dimensional beast. So this new jam from the ‘kicks won’t help you get back into your house, put your money back in your wallet, or get rid of your Tinder stalker today, but it might at least make it all go down a little easier.
Runners in the Nerved World is out from Epitaph Records on January 20. Pre-order it here.
