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Monday, February 17, 2014

Review: "Seasonal Men's Wear (EP)" by Seasonal Men's Wear

Illinois punk-pop band Seasonal Men's Wear have consistently refined their sound with each release. Their latest EP, Seasonal Men's Wear, is easily their best release to date. It's hard not to compare their sound to early Piebald- and they'll probably be the first to admit they are a big influence.

The "Opener" track takes us to the 21st floor, which apparently is where the band has practice.
"Theme Song for a Quarter Life Crisis," is an Japandroids-like anthem about realizing, for the first time in your life, that you're getting older, but age is just a number. "Growing up doesn't mean that you need to grow old." I strongly relate to the lyrics of this track- in fact, it might be an anthem for our generation. It used to be people waited until retirement to live their life. Generation Y tends to live their life now.

The third track, "My Life as a River Otter," is my favorite Seasonal Men's Wear song to date. When I first heard it live about a year ago, I was immediately hooked. Not only is the song incredibly catchy, but the lyrics are silly, innocent, and just fun. What other song exists out there about hanging out with raccoons and talking to the moon?

The title of "With Friends Like These We'll Beat Our Enemies" sums it up well. This song is not quite as catchy as the other tracks, but the lyrics really struck a chord with me- keep in mind that I'm not really a lyric guy. "...'cause friends are family that you choose...your family can be your friends too."

"The Wine of Youth" is the perfect track to end the EP. It claims we should not worry about getting older, and that we should continue to live like there's no tomorrow no matter our age.

It is impossible not to head band and sing along when listen to this band. In some ways, the are better than Piebald- they're more sincere and genuine than Piebald. I can say this as a huge Piebald who has seen them in concert multiple times. What's even more promising is that this latest batch of songs indicates that their best is yet to come.

Download the EP for "name your price" on their Bandcamp site.

RIYL- Piebald, Japandroids, MXPX

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