Philadelphia-based emo indie outfit BRACKISH are releasing their debut self-titled full length record tomorrow, and to celebrate and tease it a bit, we’re pleased to give you a special commentary about a couple of standout tracks and the mewssage behind them.
Since 2015 Brackish has crafted their sound after the early 2000’s music they grew up listening to with a sense of dedication, sharing stages with bands like I Am The Avalanche, Captain, We’re Sinking, and Awakebutstillinbed.
Brackish’s self-titled album affirms the nostalgic approach to their sound but takes their ambition in all directions: from unhesitating, breakneck fast songs to softer, mid-tempo ballads around the hard truths around friendship or the feeling “growing up” is over.
The first two singles from the record, What Makes You Say and For Your Own Good were produced and recorded by Ace Enders. After gaining that experience and sense of direction, Brackish went on to record ten more songs on their own that make up their first full-length album.
Speaks to Me stands as the lone acoustic song on the record, first penned in 2017 after the band experienced the tragic loss of their lead guitarist whose memory and influence shines throughout this record. Songs like “Pareidolia” and “For Real” share the range dynamics Brackish feels acclimated to in their songwriting approach.
Dealing with the aftermath grief and loss in its many forms, Brackish’s self-titled debut touches on losing friends, youth, and relationships with the same style they were taught watching in the era of printed handbills and VFW hall shows as it’s translated to the age of internet virality and Philadelphia basements.
“Speaks to Me” is an important song for the band. After the tragic loss of our lead guitarist and the parting of ways with our drummer at the end of 2016, we were unsure of the future of the band. We started playing a few acoustic shows to return to the coping mechanism of playing music and this song was born of that effort. By the time Tim and Zach had joined the band, we figured out a full band version of this song that really felt like it delivered the intensity it deserved, one that our old guitarist would be proud of and in a jarringly original voice unique to any other Brackish song.
“Friends That Drive” is a song about frustration with friends chasing their goals and leaving everything else in their life in the dust. The chorus rings as an “ah-ha” moment, you could have done everything you were doing with respect to those around you. It’s okay to be frustrated with the people you choose to trust and support, it’s important to help them recognize if they’re not happy with how they got to where they were going, there’s other ways of getting there.
“For Real” is about the intensity of being in a long term relationship and finding out that when things are really hard they don’t always have to get better. The little signs that let you know there is more to see or work for are showing themselves to you even in your darkest hour, you should acknowledge them as they present themselves. In a lot of ways, this song is about dropping the shovel that’s taking you further down the rabbit hole that stress and depression can drag you down.
