One Year of Puppy Angst’s Scorpio Season: Looking Back with a New Announcement

Welcome to Scorpio Season! Philly DIY veterans Puppy Angst are celebrating the one year anniversary of their debut record, Scorpio Season, today with the announcement of a vinyl rerelease via Big Pink Records to come early next year.

Puppy Angst is ALYSSA MILMAN (guitar, vocals), Dan Leinweber (guitar, vocals), John Heywood (bass), Eric Naroden (drums), and Pauli Mia (synth and backing vocals).

Looking back on Scorpio Season, the record is as honest and ambitious as its astrological sign suggests, and it has served to secure the band’s bright presence in the scene. Equally dreamy and gritty, Puppy Angst’s sound pulls from the sweet, straightforward sounds of power pop while also turning leaning into the guitar-heavy fuzziness of shoegaze. The true highlight of Scorpio Season that has captivated me with each listen is its unapologetically bold lyricism from Alyssa Milman. The record is full of diary-like lyricism from Milman that will leave listeners hanging on every word and finding new ways to relate to their raw depictions of heartbreak, depression, and grappling with adulthood. As a 21 year old in the throes of existentialism after graduating college when I first found Scorpio Season, it was immediately validating to hear a track like “Bedhead” or “Perpetual” as I entered the ‘real world’ full of doubt and discouragement. 

Puppy Angst’s debut record is a snapshot of longing for hope, all culminating on a track like “The Pattern,” while simultaneously accepting that the trauma and experiences we face are what shape us in the moment. Some of the most hard-hitting moments on the record come by way of “Yellow Paint,” a portrait of a toxic relationship, and “Eternal (Stream of Consciousness),” which delves into the complexities of grief. Though portraying heavy themes across Scorpio Season, the band’s power pop-tinged sound juxtaposes the lyricism perfect for those times when you want to bask in sadness, yet you’re willing to try to lift your own spirits and skip those downright ballads on your playlist.

While putting together a collage of influences based on each member’s own distinct musical journey, Scorpio Season shows off a band fully realized and bursting with chemistry. Lean into the season and fall in love with the essence of the overlooked water sign through the musings of Puppy Angst’s debut record. The band kicks off a tour of the Eastern U.S. on 11/2 to coincide with this record’s anniversary celebration, so be sure to acquaint yourself with their debut and rock out with them this November. Closing out a busy 2023, the sky’s the limit for what’s next for Puppy Angst!

Preorder the vinyl release of Scorpio Season in Red Galaxy or 3 Color Swirl variants via Big Pink Records.