Despite my best interests I will likely be an Emo Kid for the rest of my life, and this song feels like an anthem in earnest pursuit of that ideal.
This track comes from lasts yearās ā152ā, the proper album since their genuinely solid 2016 album Tidal Wave (although throughout the past few years theyāve done an excellent job pushing out 20 year anniversary collections and unearthing demos to really accentuate how fucking old weāve all gotten). With that in mind, this track really hones in on this concept of aging ā hopefully gracefully ā while holding onto whatever spark in your life that keeps you going. The production sounds tight and anthemic on a level not quite like the noise and angst of their old songs but hey, thatās what two decades does to a mf.
As i stumble into my 30s and perpetually see the sentiment that anyone born before 1995 should start collecting Social Security, I cannot help but resonate with this song. the subtle contrast between Lazarraās pronunciation of āSāoldā really drives this home; we refuse to admit it but we really do discard the Old for the New. Itās one of their simpler choruses, yet it says so much as the phrase shifts its context with each repetition of the phrase.
it feels honest about the passage of time yet optimistic about how that shouldnāt keep you from what makes you happy. I canāt help but sing this from the top of my lungs on every listen, even as i feel my body slowly become brittle and fatigued. But Iāll still sing.
After all,
Weāre gonna get so old, either way.