ANCHR's Artist of the Day: Retirement Party
Maybe it’s trite to write about a band right after they’ve announced a new album. My convictions of them and opinion could all be upended after the release. But I’ll do it anyways because I think about frontperson Avery Springer singing “I think cancer’s gonna kill me 'cause I got a real bad sunburn when I was 13… Maybe I shouldn't have fallen asleep in that hot, hot sun without a little bit of sunscreen. Don't let this reflect too badly on my character” at least two times a week. The painful modesty of it, the reflection of it as a wrongdoing instead of a child’s mistake. The humor of it. The entire song is playfully confronting death and thinking, maybe instead of fixating on this I should focus on being a little kinder. Retirement Party’s last album Somewhat Literate (2018) perfectly captures that moment of waking up and realizing “oh shit, I think I’m an adult.” A common horror. But Springer doesn’t pull away from the moment but rather reassesses herself. Retirement Party is an apt name for a band that writes lyrics and has a work ethic years ahead of their peers. They’re a Gen Z/Millennial cusp band with growing pains of their own. And to an extent they embrace not knowing and instead trying to learn as much as possible. It’s introverted but not insular; Retirement Party are not only not alone in their feelings but they play with an infectious energy that can fill much more than a basement. They play big, with ever moving riffs and frantic drum beats. I’m hesitant to call them emo or pop punk when they have a good amount of rock n’ roll breaks and jangling chord progressions. There are practiced breakdowns and guitar solos that never break from the story but instead bring it home, rarely unaccompanied by Springer’s clever narrative. The band’s self awareness is always unmatched, they’re nimble musicians but Springer presents herself as unvarnished- maybe sipping on that passion fruit tea you probably shouldn’t be wasting your money on. Retirement Party questions how to be an adult. Or probably more accurately, how to grow up. How to just keep getting better. How to “shoulder it” to put it in their terms. Retirement Party are figuring it out just like the rest of us.