Way back in the early days of college, I was a huge fan of Remo Drive. They had just released Greatest Hits and were on top of the emo world—and for good reason: it’s a significant record. But I, a rabid fan when it comes to bands I adore, became obsessed. I followed them on every platform, including all their members. I will admit that this is a little embarrassing to write, sorta like seeing a photo of your parents with their 80s hair wearing Whitesnake shirts, but it’s relevant…I swear.
One day, their lead singer, Erik, tweeted out an album called Still Close Enough to Go Back by Slow Bullet. I’m not really a guy who just “up and listens” to some random album that’s posted on Twitter, but I must have been really down bad for Remo Drive at this point in my life because I checked it out.
Now, it’s one of my favorite albums of all time. Let me walk you through it a little bit…
2016’s Still Close Enough to Go Back is the debut (and only) album by Wisconsin-based, alternative rock act Slow Bullet. Formed by frontman Sam DeBurgh, it was released on Blood & Ink Records.
This album really does truly feel like a slow bullet the way the songs come at you. Tracks like “Let Us Not Grow Weary in Doing Good” and “Man is Born for Trouble As the Sparks Fly Upward” are two of a handful of songs on this record that really capture the tone of DeBurgh’s songwriting style: an eerily slow and quiet build up to a raging climax, whether delivered via the full band, or only his screaming, aching vocals accompanied by a singular acoustic guitar. There may be a connection here between what’s presented sonically with the overall biblical theme of the album. Perhaps this was done to reflect how someone raised devoutly in the church can interpret and be affected by the more grim realities of life, like the stripped down “What a Friend,” a simple take on the church song “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” recorded in lower fidelity and accompanied by a solo piano. There’s also the somber “How’s School Going,” a track that describes horrific situations followed by a motif seeming to cry for salvation to be delivered, similar to the last song but here DeBurgh is playing an electric piano with the sounds of children playing interspersed throughout.
These are contrasted by the more cynical and sometimes satirical takes on the same subject in songs like “Forgive Yourself,“ which is told from the point of view of someone who has given up on religion as a fallback, or “Eating Puke,” told from the perspective of a devout man who is aware of his own hypocrisy but chooses to maintain the illusion. Both tracks are loud, angry and cathartic with heavy riffs and feedback leading you out of them.
The two departures from these themes are the tracks “Day Drunk At the Airport Bar” and “Love Song.” Both are noticeably more poppy, especially the latter, which is also their most popular song. “Day Drunk…” is a tale of a man getting hammered at the—you guessed it—airport bar to cope with whatever horrible crime he’s committed and currently being pursued for. The band revs up as events unfurl and become more and more chaotic, slowing down as the narrator tries to make excuses for who he is and what he’s done, but cannot. It’s brilliant.
Not only is “Love Song” a short and sweet pop song, it also reads like the testament of a jaded and tired man who hates himself and everyone around him. Although malcontent, he has settled for the life he’s chosen. This song is awesome because you don’t need to give a shit about any of the rationale or context and can just enjoy it at face value: an otherwise upbeat rock song that checks all the boxes for pop music, almost as if crafted deliberately for that reason.
If you’ve made it this far, congratulations for endured my writing to this point. Still Close Enough… is an emotional, heavy hitting and grunge-y record (in a more modern sense) that tells interesting stories sung by a refreshing voice that almost seems to become the person he’s singing about. This ain’t your mom’s emo record. Give it a try!
FAVORITE TRACKS: DAY DRUNK AT THE AIRPORT BAR, PENANCE, and EATING PUKE
FOR FANS OF: DONOVAN WOLFINGTON, PIERRE, and GRADUATING LIFE
