Are These Midwest Emo Song Titles or Texts From Your Depressed Friend at 2 AM?
· Vice
Midwest emo has a special way of making us nostalgic for things we can’t actually recall. Maybe these things never even happened, but we yearn for them all the same. The whole idea of Midwest emo, if you’ll forgive the generalization, is to evoke emotion—any emotion—in spite of terrible song structure or vocals. Sometimes because of terrible song structure or vocals. And that occasionally comes with track titles that evoke no-context text messages from your best friend who always seems to be having an Experience in a Situation.
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“i just want to kickflip into the sunset and disappear” by Camping In Alaska
Camping In Alaska’s 2013 album Please Be Nice is rough-cut, partially improvised, self-released, and viciously hated by the band for those exact reasons. But it’s a beloved favorite of OG fans who enjoy the teenage messiness of the debut, which shows how much the band has grown over the years. “i just want to kickflip into the sunset and disappear” is one of those Midwest emo song titles that would pop up on your phone in the dark hours, apropos of absolutely nothing.
“I would throw my vape in a cornfield for you” by Flight Patterns
Flight Patterns’ four-track project, there is no montauk, came out in 2017. The charming thing about the relatively concentrated Midwest emo scene is that it allows bands to do things like sell handmade copies of their own CD. Flight Patterns did this for there is no montauk, which is a neat way to connect with the community. As a song title, “i would throw my vape in a cornfield for you” could be a text that would show up after a night of PBRs on the porch, when everything is bleary and hazy and lovely for a brief moment.
“I used to check my driveway hoping one day i might see you there” by empty parking lot
This track appears on the album silly songs for a silly girl by empty parking lot, the same person behind other aliases like breathingtechniques. This is quintessential Midwest emo, pulling at every heartache you’ve ever had and ever will have through the raw power of vulnerability. “i used to check my driveway hoping one day i might see you there” is already a gutting song title. But it’s an even more tragic text message that comes through at 2 a.m., a couple of years after you just had to get out of your hometown, no matter who you left behind.
“let’s go swimming dave, please?” by laughing matter
Laughing Matter’s Cold Turkey released as a joint EP with fellow Midwest emo bands Tiger Bike and Boy Sprout. The six-song collaborative project contains two tracks from each band, showcasing their unique work in one total package. Like a level-up from the split LP for the modern age. “let’s go swimming dave, please?” is a song title with a sense of character and place, and it’s also what your friend would ask when they’ve been cooped up in the house too long. Are you sneaking out to meet them at your favorite swimming hole, or are you going to be a total square?
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