For the Record

Author: Melissa Marshall

"Something dies when you grow older/But you do the best you can/I am glad/I am/You found a good man."

A startling statement from a band who once sang with contempt, "I hope you come down with something they can't diagnose/Don't have the cure for" to an ex-lover. But, surprisingly, this sentiment of acquiescence is the closing line off the first track of Brand New's album Fight Off Your Demons, scheduled for release on November 21.

Shifting through the demos that have been on regular rotation on my iPod since their release in June, it seems that the quartet from Merrick, N.Y., have suffered through their growing pains and emerged a little quieter, a little wiser and even a little more jaded. Gone are the days of Your Favorite Weapon, with such staples of teenage angst as "Mix Tape" which begins with the line "I've got a twenty-dollar bill that says no one has ever seen you without make-up/You're made up" and the high-school classic "Soco Amaretto Lime," whose mantra "You're just jealous 'cause we're young in love" was slurred at every graduation party. And even the bitterness found in Deja Entendu - front man Jesse Lacey's promotion from an angry, immature freshman to an experienced upper-classman - has been morphed into a more world-weary cynicism. Fight off Your Demons highlights the band's ability to mature musically as well as lyrically - their songs providing a sort of condolence as their fans enter into a world outside the structure of eight classes a day. ?

We shouldn't be overly surprised at this growth spurt though - their sophomore effort Deja Entendu starts off with the line "I'm sinking like a stone in the sea/I'm burning like a bridge for your body." Angst-ridden, yes, but also more complex in terms of lyrical merit as well as content - a strong sense of sexuality is laced between the words. Granted, Deja Entendu is more dramatic than an episode of The O.C., yet it deals with commonplace song material, especially sex, with an innovative perspective. In perhaps the darkest track on the album, "Me vs. Maradona vs. Elvis," Lacey sings of how alcohol cheapens sexuality, while "Sic Transit Gloria… Glory Fades," whose title was taken from the cult classic Rushmore, presents intercourse as an appalling experience where innocence is lost in favor of admission to a world of broken promises and disappointments - ending with the nihilistic line, "Die young and save yourself." This capacity for maturing along with its audience is what sets Brand New apart from other pop-punk bands such as Taking Back Sunday and Saves the Day. ?

Taking Back Sunday's April 2006 release Louder Now - besides being a little more over-produced and radio-groomed than their previous releases, didn't differ greatly from Tell All Your Friends or Where You Want to Be. However, my copy of Louder Now currently resides on my local CD purveyor's used rack, while Tell All Your Friends still gets airplay on my laptop. And while I still observe "Wednesday the Third" as an official holiday, I didn't even bother to spend money on Saves the Day's 2006 release, Sound the Alarm. I suppose they're the band equivalent of the guys who still live in their mom's basement watching "Family Guy" on the weekends and Brand New are the kids who went out of state and became contributing members of society. While John Nolan whines,"I just want to break you down so badly/In the worst way," Jesse Lacey sings, "Cause just a few mother's sons will never be enough/Not 'til half of our names are etched in the wall/And the other half ruined from the things we saw."

With his melodic voice over the bops of piano keys, Lacey lets his fans who have survived heartbreak, hedonism and even high school, know that "We were young/But what we've invented I am now ending." We may all be a little cynical and less eager to believe, but we're still willing to let that fever play - dancing when the right song is played and dressing up to feel famous.

"The morning's over/The day is in full swing."

Jesse Lacey has spoken. And the music industry will listen.