FST is the next single from Sweet Time, an up-and-coming pop punk band from Atlanta, Georgia, and it is driving me crazy not knowing what that acronym means. I’ve scoured the lyrics, looked at their bio, checked their Instagram – nothing. I even tried asking an AI but, unless the song is really about finite-state transducers, which seems unlikely considering the lyrics, I don’t think so. Urban Slang says Fan SoundTrack, which might be the best guess. After all, FST would sound right at home on a mix CD or playlist, or whatever format today’s angsty teens and young adults use to compile music to share emotions and memories.
Listening to Sweet Time, with a three-piece guitar/bass/drums arrangement, guitar and bass players bouncing back and forth on vocals, it’s hard not to think of Blink-182 and other classic pop-punk bands, but on closer examination there are qualities that set this group apart. Their sound is much more lo-fi and raw, with lyrics that dive deep into emotions and vulnerability. The guitars switch from jangly chords to rich fuzz, but there is an edge and darker undertone than many bands in this genre. This feels therapeutic.
Over tight rhythms and catchy, frantic melodies, FST perfectly captures the feelings of becoming an adult and looking back on the recent past, with all the hopes, losses, and changes that happen so swiftly in our late-teens and early-twenties. Musically, Sweet Time uses clever changes and different breakdowns between verses to further infuse the song with feelings of chaos, reflection, and even anger, building in intensity until the end, where the song fades with a heartfelt set of questions that we’ve all wondered if someone was asking about us. If you’re not careful it will leave a lump in your throat.
FST will be found on Sweet Time’s next album, “where do we go from here”, scheduled for release on August 15th. You can follow and support Sweet Time on Bandcamp and, if you are in the Atlanta area you might check them out live. If you are a fan of classic emo and pop-punk, Sweet Time has a sound that is familiar, but very real, and is well worth checking out.
Written by Dylan Steele
