Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s hometown heroes The Wonder Years have returned with a brand new song today called “Oldest Daughter.” It is the band’s first new music since 2018’s Sister Cities.
“Oldest Daughter” finds The Wonder Years once again using callbacks to previous records and older songs, this time going back to 2013’s critically acclaimed The Greatest Generation. With album standout “Madelyn,” vocalist Dan Campbell sings of alcoholism and the “bitter and vitriolic” trappings of the east coast winter in a song called. Nearly a decade later, “Oldest Daughter” picks up where that song left off. The energy here is much different but the ending remains unfortunately the same.
“It’s about coming to the understanding that you can’t save everyone,” Dan explains. “There are going to be people you love who will destroy themselves no matter how badly you want them to stop.”
Every release from The Wonder Years finds the band pushing the limits of their sound, but this song truly feels like they’re pulling from all the best parts. Produced by Steve Evetts (the same producer who worked on 2011’s Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing and The Greatest Generation) over the course of late summer 2021, “Oldest Daughter” was first tracked live at the Foo Fighters’ Studio 606 and later finalized at Evett’s former studio in Garden Grove, California.
Listen to “Oldest Daughter” below, and keep an eye out for a new album coming from the band later this year.
