Southtowne Lanes 4.4.16 (source: @andsuchphotography )
Way Out West: Southtowne Lanes
FFO: Brand New, Old Gray, La Dispute
(PC: Sam Gehrke)
Eugene, Oregon is known for a lot of things; University of Oregon most notably, hippies, and for being one of the only relevant cities in Oregon - second only to Portland. What should be on that list though, is Southtowne Lanes. My best attempt at trying to place a genre on them is “emotional mathy emo pop” but I hate that label just as much as I hate any other attempt at a musical label. It’s just good music. Upon first hearing them my immediate thought was “this is for those kids who either grew up listening to early 2000s pop punk and/or went through a metalcore phase in middle school and now grew up.” Featuring some of the most attention grabbing music, it’s as catchy as it is intricate. This is one of those bands you can’t just passively listen to, because quite frankly if you do, you’ll miss something really great. They’re not a one trick band, every single song is different and complex and will hold you attention for every second. Which is a breath of fresh air in a time when I think so many bands find what they’re good at and just do that repeatedly- leading to albums and sometimes entire discographies that just bleed together with no sense of individual definition between songs. Southtowne Lanes is simply good at so many things, and they show that. Their latest album Give Up the Ghost was released in early February, and does a phenomenal job of displaying ability to do so many great things in one single album.
The album takes you through an entire year, or set of seasons. Starting with fall, and ending with the summer the album has what I like to call “phases”, or rather- seasons. Each season has a distinct sound of it’s own, yet the album is as cohesive as it is diverse. It feels complete and is one of the most satisfying albums to listen to from beginning to end. I like releases that require you listen to them in order to really feel the true intention and effect of the album, and Give Up the Ghost is most definitely one of those records. I would say my favorite tracks are “October” and “ A Storm.” The opening chords to “October” are so catchy you’ll have it stuck in your head for days, and the song is one of the best embodiments of fall I think I’ve ever heard, capturing not just the sound but the energy of autumn. Later in the album “A Storm” takes you through the chaos of a late winter Oregon rainstorm (also known as a typical winter day in Oregon), the loud mess of it all, and then the calm post-storm euphoria (this is, in my opinion, the most beautiful moment of the entire album). Vocalist Matthew Kupka pours pure emotion into every word and while his raw sounding vocals are so honest at times it seems pleading they never comes across as whiny, which I believe shows an immense amount of thoughtfulness. Despite how undeniably amazing and impressive this band is (aside from also being some of the sweetest people I’ve met in Eugene), they don’t get nearly the attention locally that they deserve. Sadly, I think I’ve found more of my friends from out of state that know and love them than those here that even know they exist. After returning from a long full US tour, they have a few shows coming up locally and hopefully that gets them the notoriety they deserve. Until then, I’m excited to see what more they have in store for us, because they surely show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
-Delaney
View their online presence here:
:’)
HERE’S OUR NEW VIDEO
You guys are awesome
Thank you :,) u r
I wonder if you worry I wonder if you worry about I wonder if you worry I wonder if you worry about me. Together, holding each other, miserable and alone, we die alone. Together, holding each other, miserable and alone, we die alone.
I don’t know if you’ve heard about this, but back home last week, this kid had overdosed.
And I need you to know that I think of you more than you could ever know.
New @dogknights shipment is in and shipping now!
There’s new vinyl from I Love Your Lifestyle, Pipedream, Simmer, Shizune, No Omega, and Southtowne Lanes, plus restocks of releases from Sorority Noise, Rainmaker, Ojne, Tiny Moving Parts, Old Gray, Marietta, and more!
Shop these titles and more at www.skeletallightning.net/dogknights
Interview: Southtowne Lanes
Southtowne Lanes released the killer ‘Give Up The Ghost’ recently and we just had to get the lowdown on one of the most interesting and thematically dense albums of the year so far.
Formed by four high-school friends (James Giles, Matt DeBellis, Matt Kupka and Tyler Giard) who reconnected a couple of years after graduation, and named after their local bowling alley in Eugene, Oregon, which kicked them out for smuggling in beer, Southtowne Lanes have delivered a genuine one-off with ‘Give Up The Ghost.’ Drawing in emo, screamo, indie and rock it’s an album that warrants and rewards repeated listens. To paraphrase The Hold Steady, “Southtowne Lanes’ll blow you away…”
AH: What’s the concept behind ‘Give Up The Ghost’? How/why did you hit on that as a concept? Matt Kupka: ‘Give Up the Ghost’ is not a concept record – at least not in the traditional sense, however it does have a setting. The album takes place on a walk, most likely at night, with the narrator walking alone. Doesn’t matter where they’re going or where they came from, what matters is that they are going. Along this walk the narrator recalls past people and situations that imply a variety of emotions, and the narrator questions whether or not these apparitions are helping, confusing, or holding the narrator back.
I feel like the concept is fairly common amongst younger songwriters, as a lot of us are, for the first time, dealing with the concept of moving on and away from what we know. There are a lot of new experiences happening, and those new experiences force us to compare with the older experiences. We, or at least I, tend to romanticize and eulogize these concepts in songs. My questions were not why this was happening, but rather what effect it was having on us.
AH: How do you approach songwriting? ‘Give Up The Ghost’ is hugely complicated with many different parts so is it a laboured, trial and error process or do you approach it with a clear vision? Matt: I feel like we come at it in a pretty traditional sense. We just put in A LOT of effort into really trying to let the song go where it needs to go. Usually someone has a skeleton for a song, they’ll post it in our private group online, then we come to practice and work.
In a more direct response to your question, I’d say we definitely come at more with a clear vision. That’s why we waited three years to even start a full=length record. We wanted to build the trust and solidarity or our relationship as a band and individual songwriters before embarking on something that could turn out to be inconsistent. We all wanted to be on the same page before writing the book.
Listen/purchase: Homecoming (Fall) by Southtowne Lanes
FFO: Comadre, Tiny Moving Parts, Taking Back Sunday, (early) From First to Last
Southtowne Lanes - When Sun Hits Water
We are always floating in between love and cost; the hurt and the loss.
Southtowne Lanes - Pigeon Man (Spring)
We are always floating in between love and cost; the hurt and the loss.
Southtowne Lanes Stream ‘Give Up The Ghost’
Head over to Punktastic to stream the new album from Southtowne Lanes, out soon via Dog Knights Productions.
You have two jobs today. Listen to the new Say Anything album and listen to the new Southtowne Lanes album.
Sayanythingmusic.com Southtownelanes.bandcamp.com
:,)
We are always floating in between love and cost; the hurt and the loss.
We’ll be at treefort 2016! Tour dates soon!