Six Going On Seven’s latest single is a tip of the hat to Homer’s Odyssey. “It also examines past lives that seem more fiction than history … though we know better,” says singer/bassist Josh English somewhat cryptically.
On the rebound after decades of silence, the Boston-based emo progenitors were mostly overshadowed by bigger names like Jimmy Eat World, the Get Up Kids and Karate. True to its moniker, the trio disbanded quietly after six years and three LPs. That makes the new Human Tears (Spartan) a follow-up a quarter century in the making. English notes that the record came together organically, with no nostalgia-driven agenda. The result is album that feeds off the band’s ’90s urgency while clearing the decks for some level of refinement and a dose of well-earned maturity.
When it comes to the protagonist on “King Tide,” English hopes he’s relatable. “I think a few of us can say we’ve both loathed and been the character in the song, sometimes simultaneously,” he says. “In another sense, it’s a tribute to—or a celebration of—the freedom extended to everyone in a very finite way. Low art in a city near you, youthful ideation, a kiss that lingers years on.”
We’re proud to premiere Six Going On Seven’s “King Tide.” Human Tears is out January 9.
—Hobart Rowland
