PREMIERE: Equipment shines on the summer bummer pop anthem, "Something Else"

A generation of kids was bottle fed to the sounds of Blue Album-era Weezer and Dookie-era Green Day; a lifetime of fuzzed out riffs powerful enough to melt their infantile brains and down-trodden lyrical marksmanship seeped their way into the psyche of these blossoming barely people, and we’re only now able to reap the benefit of that kind of exposure. Loner Chic sort of kicked things off in 2016 when they released the criminally slept-on gem that is Year Of The Goth, and last year, we got to have a hand in introducing the world to their favorite bummer pop band, Future Teens. Hell, we got that bonkers Barely March record this year, a slick release from Retirement Party just last month, and are gearing up for a perfect blend of sunny disposition by way of self-deprecation in the form of a debut album from Toledo, Ohio pop-rockers Equipment.

The name of the album is Ruthless Sun and speaks to the kind of blistering metamorphosis that tends to come with the scorching summer months. Relationships will either flourish or fall by the wayside as every emotion is amplified by the relentless heat, and the parts of yourself that you want to change begin to melt away because of this. Today, we’re sharing a song called “Something Else,” which is described as the most stream-of-conscious song on the record. It’s a perfect summary of what you can expect from Ruthless Sun — the track is a sunny and bright contrast to the songs wrought and wrung-out lyrics, which come to a head with a chorus of “Knock the wind out of my core/I can’t get the taste off of my tongue/All of the memories make me sore/So many things overrun by distance, time, and unconcern” in a way that perfectly marries the two styles.

There’s a moment right before the song ends that brings a smile to myself whenever I hear it that sees a fourth-wall break of sorts, as the narrator says “This is where a solo would go. Oh, there comes one right now” before going full-shred and throwing us back into that stellar chorus. I’m a sucker for anything snide and sarcastic and this scratched in a way that I haven’t felt since Tancred released Out of the Garden.

When talking about the record, vocalist Nick Stoup said: “Ruthless Sun is our first full-length record, which feels weird to say. I kind of willfully let its creation consume me this past year-and-a-half, and I feel confident that I poured everything I had into it. I’d probably call it the soundtrack to the end of my teenage years, and I think a lot of kids could relate to these topics: self-worth, parental approval, and that feeling when things turn sour with people you once held really dear. Sonically, since it’s our first album, I proudly wear my influences on my sleeve. You’ll hear tinges of Weezer, Elliott Smith, and Death Cab with a few modern additives like Jeff Rosenstock or even Car Seat Headrest; I loved messing with different sounds on every track rather than sticking to a uniform vibe.”

When it comes to the song itself, Stoup says “Being that the tracklist for the album is in the order that the songs were written in, Something Else, or track 6, plays an interesting role in the narrative. A lot of conflicting emotions permeate the lyrics; there’s not only a sense of guilt and second-guessing but also a feeling of finality and acceptance, understanding that “good things” can be “overrun by distance, time, and unconcern.” This song, in particular, was written very stream-of-consciousness, and I don’t think I could have communicated the same sense of helplessness had the feelings been more calculated.”

Listen below.