"The strangest thing just happened // I swear to god I had a vision // I just locked eyes with a stranger // I created in my image // He sure sounded like a Buddhist // Told me he was raised a Christian"
The sparkling admissions and bubbling stomach angst of "Anything In Between" by Petey USA plays like a maiming collision of early aughts heartland rock and early 2020's emo punk, a collision of the Killers and Jeff Rosenstock, kinda. Not to say that Pete Martin is not his own thing, he most definitely is and his emotional songwriting swagger often times feels like a nuclear bomb of feelings that run deeply in existential ways. "Anything In Between" is the first of three bonus tracks from A Case Of Yips, a new 'extended edition' of this past summer's The Yips. Pete says that "Anything In Between" is a portrait of anxious self doubt or more specifically "a song about being scared about any possible outcome."
This sense of paralysis could be a product of the age we are in. I mean think about it. Many of the most marginalized (and those who support them) feel absolutely fucked by our orange haired leader and his cadre of fascist tools and the bro culture who ostensibly voted for these immoral knuckleheads feel fucked because they voted for the outsider who literally has gone 180 degrees from everything he promised he would do for them from championing free speech to strengthening our economy to supporting farmers and veterans. It is easy to feel in a state of stagnant resignation when whatever you do, you are fucked.
For me, there is a duality within the sonic universe that Petey creates within this song. The beautifully propulsive crystalline synth keys feel hopeful but the power punching rock guitars and Petey's tension swollen vocals scream desperation, soul searching and even hints of despair. It is a great track that I find myself ruminating on our collective human condition each time I listen.
LINER NOTES (excerpted / bracketed):
[If "Ask Someone Else" is a quiet self-pep talk from someone distrustful of their own instincts, then "Anything In Between" is the anxious afterthought on their shoulder, playing out every possible "what-if" scenario it can conjure. With driving synths and restless momentum, Petey chases sincerity at full-speed as he desperately aches out the sort of question on everyone's minds... "how the hell are you so well-adjusted?!"
Produced by Chris Walla (Death Cab For Cutie, Ratboys, Snarls), The Yips doesn't just confirm Petey is much more than a scroll-stopping sketch comic––it solidifies him as a generational songwriter, planting him somewhere between The Mountain Goats, Modest Mouse, Weezer, and The Wonder Years.]
LYRICS
The strangest thing just happened
I swear to god I had a vision
I just locked eyes with a stranger
I created in my image
He sure sounded like a Buddhist
Told me he was raised a Christian
He had jeans on and a t-shirt
He had just made a decision, He said
Why leave the backyard?
Why leave the house?
Is there anything to learn
That you can't find out on the couch?
As the sky started to open up
I prayed it was a dream
I braced for nothing
Prepared for everything
And scared of anything in between
How the hell are you so well adjusted?
I've decided to keep it simple
So whole world can simply live
Outside my quaint suburban temple
I think I've finally evolved
Beyond the selfish need to travel
I think I've gained enough perspective
I think you're starting to unravel
Why leave the backyard?
Why leave the house?
Is there anything to learn
That you can't find out on the couch
As the sky started to open up
I prayed it was a dream
I braced for nothing
Prepared for everything
And scared of anything in between
I braced for nothing
Prepared for everything
And scared of anything in between
I braced for nothing
Prepared for everything
And scared of anything in between
I braced for nothing
Prepared for everything
And scared of anything in between
I braced for nothing
Prepared for everything
And scared of anything in between
I swear to god I had a vision
I just locked eyes with a stranger
I created in my image
He sure sounded like a Buddhist
Told me he was raised a Christian
He had jeans on and a t-shirt
He had just made a decision, He said
Why leave the backyard?
Why leave the house?
Is there anything to learn
That you can't find out on the couch?
As the sky started to open up
I prayed it was a dream
I braced for nothing
Prepared for everything
And scared of anything in between
How the hell are you so well adjusted?
I've decided to keep it simple
So whole world can simply live
Outside my quaint suburban temple
I think I've finally evolved
Beyond the selfish need to travel
I think I've gained enough perspective
I think you're starting to unravel
Why leave the backyard?
Why leave the house?
Is there anything to learn
That you can't find out on the couch
As the sky started to open up
I prayed it was a dream
I braced for nothing
Prepared for everything
And scared of anything in between
I braced for nothing
Prepared for everything
And scared of anything in between
I braced for nothing
Prepared for everything
And scared of anything in between
I braced for nothing
Prepared for everything
And scared of anything in between
I braced for nothing
Prepared for everything
And scared of anything in between
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
In just a few weeks, Petey USA will kick off a headlining tour but before that, he's sharing "Anything In Between." It's the first of three bonus tracks from A Case Of Yips, the new extended edition of his most recent record, this summer's The Yips. Written as a b-side to album standout "Ask Someone Else," it's a portrait of anxious self-doubt in what Pete calls "a song about being scared about any possible outcome."
Petey USA, Peter Martin, singer-songwriter / musician, indie rock, alt rock, emotional songwriting, ruminations, "Anything In Between", A Case Of Yips, sparkling synths, garage rock heaviness, heartland rock, emo punk,
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