I never thought that in 35 I would enjoy emo as my favorite genre. I feel like my taste changes every 5 years. It used to be long alt-rock (Arctic Monkeys), then it became surf rock or beach rock (Surfer Blood, Beach Fossils), then lo-fi pop or dream pop (Orchid Mantis, Swiss Portrait), and now I am slowly becoming a big emo fan. I have yet to find the band that would be my favorite or defines my current taste, but I have to admit this “Twinkly Rhineland emo” from Bonn, Cologne, and Düsseldorf is exactly what I wanted to hear now.
The band is Adrian Skubella on vocals and guitar, Frederic Hafner on guitar, Mario Hickethier on bass and vocals, and Malin Jerome Weber on drums and percussion. The band has it all, a good emo quarter should have. If I didn’t know they were from Germany, I would definitely put them in the Midwest emo genre, inspired by bands like American Football, but I am so excited that American emo came to Europe in a fresh form. Also, it means that I could potentially see them play one day in Bratislava, as traveling from Germany is much easier than traveling here from the USA.
Maybe one day, when I grow up, I will have my own emo band and create such cool, catchy riffs and sing-along lyrics that you will want to play over and over. I can totally see this band play live, and when the slow part comes, I am in the crowd, shouting along with everyone. Midwest Emo was always made to be enjoyed together, so let’s imagine you there with me and signing: “I learned how to smile / when I feel bad / I learned to be brave / When I´m not okay / The one thing I missed / Is how to be sad / The one thing I missed / Is how to be sad”.
These guys are onto something, and I want to be there for it.
Full lyrics so you can sing along:
First things first
I never said how much this meant to me
But everything I know is
that I’m now the man you see
thanks to you and all the hours
of rehearsal in the hall
25 souls to change the world
or to cite some poetry
First things first
I never said how much this meant to me
I’ve been an asshole
and I probably still am
But I try to be better
with every passing day
25 souls to change the world
or to cite some poetry
And I try to get by
as an extra in my own show
And I try to get by
Not playing the lead role
Skip ahead 15 years
and my drama never ends
But I feel I watch from outside
Are all the poets dead?
Raise my glass to broken sceneries
And foggy midsummer nights
25 souls now on separate paths
But the poets never die
And I try to get by
as an extra in my own show
And I try to get by
Not playing the lead role
I learned how to smile
when I feel bad
I learned to be brave
When I´m not okay
The one thing I missed
Is how to be sad
The one thing I miss
I learned how to smile
when I feel bad
I learned to be brave
When I´m not okay
The one thing I missed
Is how to be sad
The one thing I missed
Is how to be sad
I learned how to smile
when I feel bad
I learned to be brave
When I´m not okay
The one thing I missed
Is how to be sad
The one thing I missed
Is how to be sad
Written by Filip Zemcik
