"In the past, I’ve rarely been one to stray from what I’m comfortable with - especially when it comes to music - but recently I’ve decided to do so, and it’s brought me to this record. Reminiscent of the 2012 pop punk scene - Man Overboard, Joyce Manor, Tigers Jaw, the like - emo punk four-piece Live Well from New York are striving to push their listeners to do just that."
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Awesome
By Emily Marshman
Recommended tracks: Beach Time, Drunk, Broad Street, Drive-Thru
In the past, I’ve rarely been one to stray from what I’m comfortable with – especially when it comes to music – but recently I’ve decided to do so, and it’s brought me to this record. Reminiscent of the 2012 pop punk scene – Man Overboard, Joyce Manor, Tigers Jaw, the like – emo punk four-piece Live Well from New York are striving to push their listeners to do just that. And, I mean, come on – look at that album cover. How could you not love it already?
This album is one of the most nostalgic releases I think I’ve ever heard. It begins slow, soft, the strumming of an acoustic guitar lulling you into a false sense of security before the opening track “Regret” blows your eardrums out, in a good way. Immediately following it is “Beach Time,” one of my favorites off the album. The track is about how, even as you’re living in some of the better times of your life, you can’t help but think about how they’ll inevitably end: “I know that we will never last, so let’s stay together, let’s stay together for a while.”
Every single track on Perfectly Temporary is purely therapeutic and confessional; it’s clear that they were drawn to that idea of the fleetingness of happiness, and how everything truly is perfectly temporary, as all life ends in death, no matter what. “Drunk” and “Coked Out” are another two fantastic tracks, “Drunk” especially, as its vulnerability is so enlightening yet it’s hidden behind one of the most upbeat backing tracks on the album. It’s impossible not to at least tap your foot along to it.
It’s hard to decide what I think any of these tracks are about, as I have no familiarity with the artist, but Live Well’s lyrics are so straight-forward and relentlessly hard-hitting that anyone can relate to them. Listening to this album on a Greyhound bus on my way home from Philadelphia was one of the best decisions I could have made, as it gave it an even more atmospheric feel than it already had. This album is perfect for fans of The Story So Far, The Wonder Years, or Real Friends who are looking for smaller, similar bands to support.
Live Well can be found on Facebook and Instagram, and at their BandCamp page.
