•
Rating:
THE REVIEW
Listening to it for the first time, perhaps absentmindedly, one might get the impression of facing pseudo Blink 182 or, worse still, a faster and distorted version of some horrible boy band. Nothing could be further from the truth, as when you listen closely, you find what the Get Up Kids offered with what remains the quintessential Emo record.
"Something to Write Home About" tells stories of awkward teenagers, of those who were dumped by their girlfriends, of holidays and homecomings, of letters and messages never written or sent. But what matters most is how they tell it: not forgetful of the lesson from the ultimate "awkward teenagers," the Replacements, but with perhaps even more flair, the Get Up combine punk energy and some references to 1980s American Rock with the melancholic pop of the most oblique and less defined English New Wave, like the Smiths and especially the Cure, from which the Get Up, unsurprisingly, revisit "Close to Me" (absolutely a must-hear in their version!).
And they mix it all with remarkable and rare intelligence, which they particularly demonstrate in structuring and arranging the songs, never banal or derivative, but always elusive and hard to define, dominated by constant dynamic changes ("Holiday," "Action & Action"), forceful and distorted yet always softened by the sweetness of the keyboard ("Close to Home," "Red Letter Day"), unusual and ever-changing in structure ("Company Dime," "I'm a Loner Dottie, a Rebel"), or simply melancholic and subdued, without appearing less inventive ("Valentine," "Out of Reach").
And it is above all the expressive freedom of the individual musicians, whose interpretation is always airy and little stylized, that makes each piece always interesting and originally constructed, making "Something to Write..." a little gem of 90s American alternative. The only regret is that the Get Up Kids never went beyond this remarkable second album, closing and stereotyping their style instead of expanding it, resulting in at least a mediocre record like the subsequent "On a Wire."
Loading comments slowly
Summary by Bot
This review highlights The Get Up Kids' 'Something To Write Home About' as a seminal emo album. It praises the band’s storytelling focused on teenage vulnerability and heartbreak, blending punk energy with 80s American rock and English new wave influences. The album’s dynamic song structures and intelligent arrangements make it stand out as a 90s alternative gem. Although their later works did not live up to this standard, this record remains highly regarded.
The Get Up Kids
The Get Up Kids are an American emo and indie rock band from Kansas City, Missouri, formed in 1995. They helped define Midwest emo with Four Minute Mile (1997) and the acclaimed Something to Write Home About (1999), and later released albums including On a Wire, Guilt Show, There Are Rules, and Problems.03 Reviews
Other reviews
By Monta_emo
For me, this is not just a simple emo album... it’s reliving my emotions in the form of music.
You will listen to this album so many times almost without realizing it, and by the time you reach the end, you will want to start over again.
