To round out the comparison, I should also note, that they both favor sparkly guitars and inserting dialog extracted from video games and other beloved media into their songs. But in 2021, what emo band worth the salt of their own tears doesn't do the same? If you're not, then I'm going to have to require that you to turn your emo card into one of the members of Home Is Where (I won't tell you which one). You can apply to have it reinstated once the 6th/7th/Infinite wave starts in a few months.
Getting back on track, NGDR released their second LP Pictures of Your Pets earlier this year via Sun Eater Records and it felt a little overlooked. I'm not sure why, but it is a real shame. This is a solid record after all. You have the aforementioned sparkle chords, interlocking with a Mid-West emo beat and some jittery, sloppy and pop-punky sensibilities, all of which combine to make for a darling and highly personal listening experience.
Vocalist Danny Jorgensen's Carmen Perry-esque delivery seals the deal in a lot of ways, as it sounds like it is being projected from the mix directly at you. It's arresting and hard to escape, like a friend cornering you at a party to ask to talk with you in private about your self-destructive and insensitive behavior as of late. It's sometimes uncomfortable to hear what they have to say, but in either case, it will be good for you to hear them out, so take your medicine. These lyrics aren't always trying to shake sense into you though. Often times Danny is just singing about how sad they feel sometimes and that's very relatable. Who doesn't feel like melting into a drip-pan of their own frustration and self-pity sometimes? If you're reading this, then you're probably thinking to yourself, "Yup. It me." Well, it me also. And rest assured, it Danny and the rest of NGDR, as well.
Circling back to the nostalgic appeal of NGDR, the other aspect of their sound that really stands out to me is their embrace of '90s indie rock melodies and light, grungy fuzz- both of which serve to add a semblance of established poise and knowing direction to their music that is otherwise very comfortable roiling in the winds of DIY disarray and displays of complete emotional deterioration. It helps them feel more mature as songwriters, as well as carousing to the fore fond recollections of early Piebald and Hot Rod Circuit.
Once you've given Pictures of Your Pet a chance, I think you'll find it growing on you pretty quickly. It has a lot going for it and I hope you won't let this one slip through your fingers as we turn the page to 2022.
