Now, Now :: "Dead Oaks"

The terrifying hum of adolescence is easily forgotten by the adult world. And not the type of "teen movie" nostalgia where some terrible pop song blares as a bunch of fresh faced kids head to the beach in a Jeep Wrangler. The buzz of adolescence was that constant yearning, unsettled and uncertain, everything in mind and body running at 100 miles-per-hour. It was awesome; it was uncomfortable. Everything was new and important. I suspect you've lost any connection to this in a sea of expense reports, company emails, jobs that start relentlessly at the same time every day and a relationship that is the picture of stability. There was a time when you felt very differently. Now, Now, a band who recently signed to Chris Walla's Trans-Records, are allowed direct access to these moments of youth, at once energetic and anxious. "Dead Oaks" roots itself in a down-stroke guitar line, one that might remind you of "Since U Been Gone" if you listen to it right, before bubbling over into a chorus about not sleeping enough. The duet emerges as a perfect "up-a-third" pairing, making the band's stylistic references footnote somewhere between early Rilo Kiley and Tegan and Sara, a short burst of pop that fades as quickly as it arrived, rife with teenage sensibility. "Dead Oaks" rings heartbroken, love-sick and completely hopeful, a cocktail of emotions you may not have experienced since the Clinton years. It was that buzz, the radio static that never quieted, and when you closed your eyes that guitar line was still there, whether you wanted it or not.