
PURCHASE VINYL / MERCH
The Upsides ought to remind a lot of you of those gloriously awkward years of middle school and high school where social interaction was difficult and all you wanted to do was scurry home, forget about the "F" you got in algebra and cozy up with a pack of Oxy pads and your favorite Drive-Thru Records compilation. The guys in the Wonder Years were all just like us back then, and just like us they've grown up, but not without forgetting those sugary hooks and memorable choruses. Instead, they've taken those musical traits and the adolescent enthusiasm that's inherent in music like this, and molded it with mature lyrics that range from being personally revealing to socially conscious. Basically, The Upsides ain't pop-punk where it's all about the girls, and it's a breath of fresh air in a genre where far too many bands end up repeating themselves. - Absolutepunk.net
1st Press:
150 Record Release (Black Vinyl, 30 records for each of the 5 record release shows with different spray painted dust sleeves for each city)
200 Blue
300 Orange
400 White (Hot Topic Exclusive)
450 Black
2nd Press:
500 Purple LPs
500 Brown LPs
500 Yellow LPs
500 Clear LPs
"The Upsides" is a record about hope. During the past year, The Wonder Years found themselves trudging through their early twenties along side an army of downtrodden friends. It felt like sadness had become the status quo and that didn't sit well with the Philadelphia-based five piece. On a bike ride around the fountain at Logan Circle on the first day of spring, the idea struck that this constant state of defeat was no way to live and out of that, "The Upsides" was born. Instead of a writing format derived from the ideas of one member, The Wonder Years built a record out of opposing influences, colossal arguments and gallons of sweat. The band all moved into a one-bedroom house in South Philly and spent a scorching month and a half locked in a 15 square-foot basement obsessing over every single part of every single song, refusing to move from the practice space until everyone was content. The result is 12 tracks of overly honest pop punk that resonates with the band's past influences like Motion City Soundtrack, Saves the Day and The Starting Line, but also speaks to new influences like Latterman, Thursday and even The Hold Steady. Fans can expect to see the familiar soaring hooks and energetic guitar-driven songs that made The Wonder Years what they are, but will also find themselves engaged in new aspects as the band makes use of different dynamics, instrumentation and structures. In writing "The Upsides," The Wonder Years have created a soundtrack for the hopeful. Throughout the LP, the band continually sings, "I'm not sad anymore" in the hopes that everyone still feeling the weight of the past year can soon sing along.
Tracklist:
1. My Last Semester
2. Logan Circle
3. Everything I Own Fits In This Backpack
4. Dynamite Shovel
5. New Years With Carl Weathers
6. It's Never Sunny In South Philadelphia
7. Hostels & Brothels
8. Melrose Diner
9. This Party Sucks
10. Hey Thanks
11. Washington Square Park
12. All My Friends Are In Bar Bands