THANK YOU, I'M SORRY "I'M GLAD WE'RE FRIENDS" REVIEW AND INTERVIEW
Album art for i’m Glad We’re Friends by Thank You, I’m Sorry.
2020 has been a rough year for the DIY scene, to say the least. Stay at home orders and a global pandemic have made it pretty hard to participate in the scene’s biggest pastime: cramming way too many people into a tiny, damp basement to hear some of the best music from the city and the region. Luckily, a lot of bands are using this time to record new music, and Minneapolis by way of Chicago indie emo band Thank You, I’m Sorry are no exception. TYIS are a super group of sorts, comprised of niiice. drummer Sage Livergood, DIY photographer extraordinaire Bethunni “Lil Bee” Schriener, and scene staple Colleen Dow. I’m Glad We’re Friends, released August 21st on Count Your Lucky Stars records, is the band’s first official full length, and although the February acoustic album by Colleen, The Malta House, contains almost an identical track list to IGWF,) and is a hell of a place to start.
I’m Glad We’re Friends kicks off with the single “Manic Pixie Dream Hurl,” which has gotta be one of the best song titles I’ve ever heard, and this is high praise coming from someone whose favorite band was Fall Out Boy for a decade. This song, much like the whole band, is hard to pin to one genre. It’s bedroom pop yet emo at the same time. MPDH showcases why these three work so well together: every part feels wonderfully in sync and complimentary to the others. Livergood’s steady beat holds Schriener’s whimsical bass line up, and both envelop Dow’s musing vocals like a warm hug. Colleen’s voice and lyrics set the tone for the rest of the record, which is an ode to the anxiety of your early 20s. MPDH particularly encapsulates the feeling of being young in weird times with Dow lamenting, “Everybody has it so figured out, I guess I'm coming in late. But it's just the way it goes, I'm trying to figure out the things everybody else already knows.” It’s no wonder this track has gotten heavy rotation at The Current.
I’m Glad We’re Friends powers on with its second track, “How Many Slugs Can We Throw Against The Wall Until We Question Our Own Mortality,” which continues the trend of titles that would make Pete Wentz blush like a proud father. The song opens with the line, “anxiety is killing me,” as any good emo track should. HMSCWTATWUWQOOM is one of the most raw and vulnerable tracks on the record. Dow opens their whole heart up on this one, and it feels almost like a diary entry. This one has the potential to become an emo classic, and I’m really excited to hear a group of 18-25 year olds singing the chorus in unison in one of the aforementioned damp basements.
“Ten Dollar Latte” had me do a double take when it started. The intro sounds remarkably similar to the beginning of Blink-182’s 2003 single “Feeling This,” but feels catchier and more refreshing. An ode to a crush, “Ten Dollar Latte” captures the nerves and anxiety that come with those pesky romantic emotions in a heartfelt yet spirited way. This song shows off the qualities of each musician, and their personalities shine through a lot. Schriener’s jangly riffs give the track a bubbly, kind of effervescent air, which reminds the listener of the warm and fuzzy parts of the same feeling the lyrics discuss. Livergood’s beat is constant and reassuring, much like Sage as a person. I think “Ten Dollar Latte” is one of the strongest tracks vocally as well. Dow’s vocals have an almost gravelly quality here, which reminds me a lot of Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill. They’re showing some serious frontperson chops.
In true emo fashion, “Menthol Flavored Oatmeal” is an honest, exposed look at why growing up sucks. On the chorus, Dow sings, “and I want to go back to being ten. Felt safe with covers up over my head. Anything beats being twenty. I just feel so alone, everything is so scary,” which I think just about anyone can relate to, especially in this hellscape of a year. While “I hate growing up” has become almost a trope in indie and emo music, Thank You, I’m Sorry manages to capture the feeling and the emotion without it being cliché.
Fittingly enough, “Bees?” really shows off Lil Bee’s bass skills. The bass line is reminiscent of the golden age of 2000s emo and pop punk, almost sounding like the lovechild of American Football and From Under The Cork Tree-era Fall Out Boy. The lyricism and subject matter here are biting, continuing the young love theme from the previous track. When Dow sings, “I’m prepared to let you break my heart,” they make you feel the hope and anxiety they feel. Their honesty is welcoming, and you can really empathize with them.
“Slow Ghost” starts as a dramatic departure from the previous tracks on the album. It begins as a somber ballad about a failing relationship. It’s sad and poignant and beautiful. The outro picks up a little bit, with that classic shimmery Schriener bass line, and a horn section, which is a super cool little bonus that adds an interesting quality that we hadn’t previously heard on this record. “Slow Ghost” also shows that Dow really knows how to write a chorus, with another classic repeated refrain that really drives home the point. This track is gorgeous and one of my favorites on the whole album.
“Follow Unfollow” is a really fun one. Well, musically. This is one of my favorite things about emo music - dark yet vulnerable lyrics swinging out from upbeat instrumentals. Sage Livergood is one of the best drummers we have in the scene, and you can tell he’s having a great time on this one. “Follow Unfollow” is a sentimental ode to modern breakups, and it has Dow laying their insecurities out on the table, which is incredibly bold and respectable. The outro is a little clip of the band talking and goofing around, which made me smile. It’s a nice touch, and it really shows what these three are all about. They aren’t chasing fame and fortune, they’re just three friends who wanted to have fun and do something they enjoy together.
“Waves” has an almost surf rock feel to it, reminiscent of FIDLAR or Best Coast in their primes. Something that I really love about this album is that while there are a lot of repeated themes, they’re all done differently on each track. While “Waves” is another track about breakups and insecurities, it’s not the same song as “Follow Unfollow” or “Menthol Flavored Oatmeal.” Each track on the record is its own little story, and the band does a great job at not letting themselves get stale.
“Two Door Sports Edition Minivan” is a gem of a track. Everyone is at the top of their game, and lyrically it’s wonderful. This is one of those songs that I am really excited to hear live when everyone can congregate safely again. It’s raucous, it’s fun, it’s got Colleen trying a little unclean vocals in spots. This song is proof of how talented these three are, not that you needed any reminder after the previous tracks.
The album’s final two tracks, “Between Hell and Hair School” and “Backpack Life,” work as two separate sides of the same coin. “Between Hell and Hair School” tackles the lack of motivation that often goes hand in hand with being depressed. The opening is dreamy, with horns and swells filling in the space around Dow’s yearning vocals before the distortion appears, breaking you out of the daydream. “Backpack Life” then brings back that surf rock feel, complete with handclaps. The “backpack life sonata” is a cheeky DIY anthem, discussing the joys of wearing dirty clothes and couch surfing while still ruminating on the fear of the future. They’re both excellent songs on their own, but back to back they really capture the album’s entire essence beautifully and leave you on a high note.
At just over half an hour long, I’m Glad We’re Friends is a stunning official debut, and I hope it sets the tone for what’s to come from these folks. It’s not just another DIY record, and this is not just another DIY band. The influences are clear, they come from all over, and Thank You, I’m Sorry are filling the big shoes of their stylistic predecessors out well. I’m excited to see what comes next for them.
(Melodic Noise): How has being in different states affected your process?
(Colleen Dow): Being in different states was incredibly challenging. I feel like it didn't allow us to add as much detail to songs as we have now, and it really rushed our writing progress. While I was still living in Chicago, I would play a lot of solo sets, and that made things easier, but it was a bummer to miss out on playing more shows as a full band.
(Sage Livergood): It was definitely a process that was different than any other band I've been in. We didn’t have a ton of opportunities to practice, so we always had to focus hard and write fast. There were a few songs on IGWF that I learned the day of recording! I think it really brought us together, though. Now that we are all in the same place, it’s made the writing process a lot more relaxing.
(Bethunni Schriener): For me it didn’t phase me much at first because this is my first band, so I didn’t have anything to compare it to. But it definitely made things hard for me personally because we only ever got to practice a few hours before whatever show we were playing. I spent a lot of time practicing in my room to the demo recordings on my phone, haha. A lot of the writing felt rushed because we only had x amount of practice before recording for the album, we didn’t have time to sit down and make fine tweaks and add extras, and a few of the songs I learned the weekend of recording.
(MN): What’s your dream lineup for a show?
(CD): My dream lineup would probably consist of Best Coast, Rilo Kiley, and Death Cab.
(SL): It would be sick to play a show with Faye Webster!
(BS): I think that it would be really cool to play with Crumb and Beach Bunny.
(MN): How have your other endeavours in the scene shaped Thank You, I’m Sorry?
(CD): I took a lot of inspiration from Worst Party Ever when I started TYIS as a solo acoustic project. Hearing music that I closely related to played and recorded in a very accessible way really made me realize how easy it can be to start a project.
(SL): I’m lucky to have experience in the music and the scene (as everyone in the band does). I think it’s made us efficient, and we know what we want to do.
(BS): I have been involved in the Mpls scene for a few years now, but only in a photographer way. I have learned some ins and outs of shows and whatnot, but it’s definitely different coming at it now from a bands perspective. I do think it has given me insight on what paths we can take as a band and kind of learning from the mistakes and victories of others. Spending so much time watching bands play has really paid off because I can kind of take notes and mirror what my favorite bass players do on stage.
(MN): What do you think is next for y’all as a band?
(CD): Now that LP1 is out, we're working on LP2. We've definitely grown a lot as a band and grown a lot around each other as musicians, so I'm really excited to see what each of us brings to the table now that we're so comfortable around one another.
Hopefully when covid is more under control, we can play local shows together again, but until then we'll just be writing and recording!
(SL): I’m very excited for LP2! I feel like the process we have planned is gonna be so much fun. Hopefully we can start playing shows in the cities when things are normal!
(BS): Well we are looking forward to another album! I am personally stoked to record again because our first record - when we recorded everything - I was still fairly new to my instrument. I know my instrument WAY better now, and I’m super excited to show everyone how I’ve grown personally and how we all have grown together as a band
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Review by: Liz Brooks, Writer @easytargetmpls
Edited by: Eric Martin, Writer @eamartin95
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