As many of our songs do, Hangups & Hangovers originated jamming out a new progression at practice one day - what became the verse. It started out with slow moving parts, lots of empty space, and a melancholy feel to it. In the midst of a deep depression after getting out of an abusive relationship, pieces of the lyrics just started coming to me. The sparse and low energy nature of the words and their delivery felt like they fit the feel of the song while reflecting the emotions I was dealing with. This prompted Jeremy to suggest the second verse focus on the same theme, but come more alive with a fuller sense of the weight these emotions carry. This is all contrasted by Jeremy’s chorus, which comes in to recognize that no matter how low things get, friends are always there to see it through.
--Joshua
I had been listening to a ton of Modern Baseball when this song came about, and one thing I noticed about their chord progressions is that they didn’t always move chords after four beats like my own writing style is prone to. So I experimented with letting chords breathe longer than I normally would and the progression for the verse was the result. When we finally came up with a chorus feel we decided to go simple, repeating the same set of lyrics twice with only minor melodic variations. Brennan actually played what became the vocal melody on trumpet—which you can hear in the final chorus—because I was having trouble not just following the root notes of the chords. Composing this song actually taught all of us a lot about using space and playing less in order to create a more cohesive sound.
--Jeremy
lyrics
Verse 1:
Here we go - once again - feeling alone with my friends
How can I feel so empty inside - inside
Here we go - once again - drink in hand
And I’m thinking of her, and I’m thinking of her - tonight
Chorus:
I'm not drinking alone
My friends are all here by my side
We're gonna go all night, if that's what it takes to survive
I'm taking back my mind
Verse 2:
Here I am, I'm moving on, the day's still dark, but you've been gone
And as those memories fade I feel less stuck in my haze
Until that one night you're the girl of my dreams again
But more like a ghost who haunts me, reopens all the wounds you caused me
This dream is more like a nightmare
Because when I wake up, I lose you once more and just want to die
Bridge
I'm done with missing you,
I miss who I could've been
I’m trying to get away but I only get down
I miss my favorite bar
Please don't come around no more
I'm hanging out tonight trying to heal my scars
credits
from Hangups and Hangovers,
released February 26, 2019
Guitar, vocals: Jeremy Gartzke
Bass, vocals: Joshua Storer
Guitar: Nick Haas
Drums: Taylor McCarthy
Tenor Sax: Beck Friedman
Trombone: Jake Winkler
Trumpet: Brennan Schmidt
Specializing in bright, sunny "bedroom rock español," this Brooklyn singer-songwriter puts a unique spin on lo-fi music. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 18, 2024