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Hard Pop

by Telethon

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smallredboy7
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smallredboy7 a fantastic power pop band. one of the best Favorite track: Wanderparty.
ericswaggyswooper
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ericswaggyswooper bops from start to finish Favorite track: Time To Lean (This Whole Building Runs On Windows 98).
noremac123
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noremac123 Great album. do yourself a favor and pick up all of Telethons albums, your ears will thank you. Favorite track: Time To Lean (This Whole Building Runs On Windows 98).
Thomas Ylvisaker
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Thomas Ylvisaker This album melds pop, punk, emo, ska, and alternative rock together to create a ride that you want to put on repeat. I would recommend this to anyone who is into those genres, especially those that are fans of Motion City Soundtrack and Weezer. Favorite track: Loser / That Old Private Hell.
Rick Seidler
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Rick Seidler Can I say enough positive things about this album? No. I cannot. It is a complete album from start to finish. I can't even allow myself to skip tracks because they are all so good. Hard Pop cured my depression. Favorite track: Loser / That Old Private Hell.
steveromenesko
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steveromenesko The whole album rules from front to back - it's one that you can't just listen to one you have to listen to the whole album. As the pringles man says, "once you hard pop ya just can't hard stop"! Favorite track: How Long Do I Let It Go For?.
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1.
The magic of being a loser Is that nobody has to find out At times you’ll get swept by the pace of the river But if you keep your head over then you probably won’t drown i hope this won't ruin the rest of your summer the best that you’ve had in some time By next september know that you’ll have forgotten from top of mind into a passing thought Keep that in mind when beams are about to give out Being a loser’s a gift though it don’t seem like it now Midwestern US of A’s Got a habit of putting a smile on most anyone’s face Ooze of dark crawls in and then just as quick as it came Ooh, It takes the smiles away Some stay here, some move away then come back Because they miss the hiss of the sprinklers or the smell of shellac but the fact stands that all backhand gestures come from in the Realm of this god-given land Adjust the dial and tune into that Signal that you hear then can’t unhear Plenty of folks never will, but you did, loud and clear now you’re so skeptical, there must be more to this than they're telling me a hush from the crowd's got me paranoid, How am I supposed to believe they shut that fountain spout down apartment museums, family’s disapproving old friends all a burden, don’t buy it, you’re searching you think you got it all figured out you’ve done it over and over and over and over you think the answer's right there it’s so clean i've done it over and over and over. i'm over that. so, nothing is true and the shit you scraped off of your shoes Wasn’t shit to begin with, and only through you and your soi-disant penchant for clues Was it able to be shit you’ve climbed too deep on down inside of the hole trying to spend the fourth of july without gravity I Gotta tell ya i’m not willing to go If that’s the place that you’re trying to drag me Can ya blame me? i’m so skeptical, there must be more to this than they're telling you or me no, i'm not taking it lightly i'm doing this on behalf of this whole fuckin' city yeah, city, yeah, they’ll call it a city when the breakthrough breaks through they’ll call this unit a city And i’ll know where we are, and i’ll know who to thank Maybe sit next to jay, i mean jimmy by god, i’ll be great Dreamt that someday i might play minor league baseball Get called up at an opportune moment And never wait around for nothing again they’d be lining up for chances at friendship Problem is past the eight grade i stopped playing baseball Didn’t like to practice or jive with the mindset Now i’m here waiting ‘round for nothing again i’m here, sitting down, static day out and day in a revolution igniting; the opposite motion Is the notion it may not be worth it to dwell On that old private hell in your fucked head Get it staged up real nice, try to sell the homestead To new buyers unopposed who see the growth being posed And you can put money down on a new plot instead
2.
let me set the scene in lieu of the corkboard; the photos connected by string i'll explain But give me a sec for finessing the mess in my brain it's developing news it's a skin being shed you could say i outgrew these street lamps glow with an iridescent green only seen by the shadows in the know and it rattles my bones I guess you'd call it an undertone why'd you think yr flyers all got taken down from every telephone pole and breezeway across this town and it rattles my bones we're all avoiding the undertone slow to arrive put your life on silent it's dark outside and i certainly don't need any of you You can find a better hobby this one’s long in the tooth no, i certainly don't need any of your assistance. No, you’d fuck it off. yeah, i'm sure. From a bench where i like to sit as a place, i won't argue, the spot’s pretty pleasant but it plans. yeah, it plans and every so often you can see the outlines of its plans i've got this spiral bound notebook i've kept it since i was a kid Where i write down anything that doesn't add up so i can show it to god in the end and say “i know whatcha did” ooh it rattles my bones I guess you'd call it an undertone why'd you think your car got towed while you were inside paying out your ticket to the ones who brought you inside ooh, don't it rattle your bones you learned to live with the undertone there's sides to the world that you'd never be shown until you shoot a bullet through the globe and i certainly don't need any of you There are things i’m absolutely sure about without proof No, i certainly don’t need any of your opinions So stifle the cough Weather’s gone dismal like it or not Leave me to me and leave me to rot I’m a lot, i’m a lot Oo, don’t it rattle your bones Now that you notice the undertone I can’t be alone, i can’t be alone Now, Tell me you notice the undertone Hope that you’re resting your bones I’ve been mistaking the undertone Outrun, overblown, I mistook a day for an undertone and i told ya
3.
Wanderparty 03:27
where do you wander and where do you party? nobody knows where you wander or party everyone wanders, everyone parties but not like you wander and not like you party still getting used to the ones that i love Leave be the ones that i don’t Not lack of interest or a sense i’m above Jury’s still out regarding lack of a soul Control, control, my lifeblood Only thing that really gets me through my day Control, control, my livelihood Sometimes the things you rely on gotta be taken away So ask me over now before i say no In the form of a text with an excuse, Ooh i’m caught, a facade, i can practically hear the nod “Okay, no problem” “Anyway, have fun” So tempting. So stop me before i react to reality kicking in doors, closing in, oh won’t you show me how where do you wander and where do you party? nobody knows where you wander or party everyone wanders, everyone parties but not like you wander and not like you party Come on There was a time several years ago When this all came more natural to me I knew the songs and i knew where to go only the radio static got freaky Now that’s the new normal, like a new form of currency Take it away. watch what the fuck happens to me. Is that how it goes? Or am I uniquely boring? If I’m uniquely boring, is that bad? Beckon the peers and you’ll hear Mixed responses, which have never been helpful Beckon the shrink and you’ll see Hesitation, you know exactly what that means Thus, to you I turn, whoever you may be Tell me: What do you think of me? What if i told you my new year’s eve Consisted of scouring twitter alone or illegally streaming Batman Beyond Come on where do you wander and where do you party? nobody knows where you wander or party everyone wanders, everyone parties but not like you wander and not like you party holy, put me on life support, i've been talking all in my sleep in your trash cans digging around while the porch light's on and the curtain’s peeking when's the last time you salted these stairs, so dimly lit, someone's gonna slip there's only one way, only one way way outta here i guess we're looking at it there's only one way, only one way way outta here i think we're looking at it there's only one way, only one way way outta here i think we're looking at it where did you wander and where did you party?
4.
Might be cumulative Might be the time of day Sodium or caffeine intake what have you read? if i may ask: these questions of yourself what purpose does they serve? Aside from dampening the mood And making you feel worse apartment shopping online for about the 8 or 9th time checkboxing bathrooms and avoiding neighborhoods calling or email works best reply immediate with bad news like not there or no pets Although the listing said nothing to that effect And now i’m clenching my jaw We’ll be out of the van by the first of the month If this luck continues along Good god, have i become so tightly wound i can’t stop it anymore And in the quiet when there's no one else around how long do i let it go for? Interestingly enough, we Eventually found residence It has two, count ‘em two, bathrooms One for each of us There’s room for the dog to run and everything it took a little less than a week of looking, too But where does my brain wander, where does it party? What if I hadn’t put in the work? What’ll we do next year? And the year after that? Mind you, we haven’t moved out or in yet Good god, have i become so tightly wound i can’t stop it anymore And in the quiet when there's no one else around how long do i let it go for? Combustion loop repeating It doesn’t have to be that hard What’ll be top of mind come winter If you make it through the fall? For those in back, repeat it It doesn’t have to be that hard You’ve drawn yourself a circle. It doesn’t have to be that It doesn’t have to be that It doesn’t have to be that hard Good god, have i become so tightly wound i can’t stop it anymore And in the quiet when there's no one else around how long do i let it go for? Good god, have i become so tightly wound i can’t stop it anymore And in the quiet when there's no one else around how long do i let it go for? Good god, have i become so tightly wound i can’t stop it anymore And in the quiet when there's no one else around how long do i let it go for?
5.
Sirens 00:59
focus on the sirens focus on the pain you used to feel my dear works for some but not for others all depends on just how well you deal my dear no one made you sign the page life can't change in a day no one told you you can't walk away oh, that's within you focus on the silence focus on the pain you used to fear
6.
1-2 what are you gonna do can't just squander aimlessly No rest, probably in your best Interest to search underneath The 40 foot high waves and all that tend to rock the boat The serpentine plate backed beasts will shake you clean Or so they told you Building up your database of everyone who ever wronged you the hep cats who didn’t watch your set to the chick who sold you percodan off of 29 with the face tat of birds flyin', hadn't seemed to heal quite right and You can drop them They forgot They could be dead or southern baptist; flat earthers, fraught Won’tcha fold in on your alibis now move in, apply pressure, and let ‘em bleed out On down the road you’ll have to lighten your load Or chimney rock may be the last stop that you ever call home brass tacks: where do you go to relax to free your conscience of quandaries A brand new studio is right on your street where you can Sign up to sit comfortably And the room files in; sun salute the doyenne couple candles lit, lids closed but i'm peeking, i'm peeking, god only knows that i'm peeking and i'm taking mental note of the folks without a heavy set a guilt & dread as we bend our legs in front of our heads, try to read their palms, try to read their minds from a distance. it's easy if you know what you're trying to find Look to buy higher power or guidance Get in quick and toss the bags out from under the eyes alright fold in on your bottom half now breathe in. when you do, don't forget to breathe out Watch the tone as you hang up your foam roll Fake it till you make it so they leave you alone Oh, i just don't know where do all these people go the stepford vibes are bubbling up so slow suspicious as it sounds they were lost but now are found in a church of inner peace with a monthly and annual fee you're being unfair got your mind made up and you lead you get off on a rebuttal prepared no matter to you: the only audience listening lean in, buddy, what are you scared of? your minivan’s Custom tint on the side Why’d you pay more for that if you truly got nothing to hide Your family; friends, they’ll keep you in the clear Fact is you’ve no idea earthly idea who you’re dealing with here
7.
Faucet dripping loud The landlords been round Don't want the guy to have to come over again So now it's a crack a chip in the glass seems you're my only friend now, baby i can't change, for you, i would you know i would've back in the early days that early phase. emaciated. quaint & strange. Could i fall on this sword? as i so gracelessly side-step my own do you mind if i fall on this sword would you prefer i fell on yours again? Would that be different? inadequacy feels good to ID he says it tokenizes the mystery FSA runs out when it's gonna run out still, no one e'er foresees the drought until it's come and your eyes are dry and there's dust on your tongue Could i fall on this sword as i interminably side-step my own would you mind if i fell on this sword would you prefer i fell on yours again? would that be different? “I’ll never understand,” you said, “How we got it so wrong, and we can’t stop now, we’ve been at it far too long. A team’s can’t be shit but their plan of attack; how we grew world war three from a monkey on the back God I don’t have the energy. We don’t have the time. These lines are lacking synergy. Hope that answer will suffice. to impact someone's life like you have mine's a feat that most would not dare try congrats, you made it! i assume it can't be smooth; that it can't be fun; that it cannot be rewarding You assume, well, the opposite you've been able to move been able to shake me but you don't in spite of the bullshit, loaded words, dust gathering in grooves we didn't know were there And i'm not sure who sent you here but i'm thankful that they did i can't stay calm while i’m trying to relay it
8.
maybe in another place, another time coming through a different light, another sign I'd have been the king or queen, but here am i trying to stay but disappear i feel the darkness in this place as time goes by i’ve been told that's simply growing up no, that's been fine And it really can't come quick enough i'm burning out on Grocery store acquaintances who couldn't give less of a fuck now, give me something to do Can’t muster much although i know i need to Give me something to do To say i hit the wall is nothing short of... Finally got some friends who drive Figures as much that those friends are dropping off like flies Don’t got the time for a sunset dick who hates themself look in my eyes and tell me you believe it Part time work from 5 to 9; most every night fielding Um’s from clueless pioneers; romanticized In my head some edward hopper dive, awakened rudely when i hear some right wing dad mumble sweet potato fries give me something to do My sense of self can only take so much abuse Give me something else to do I can’t believe i’ve reached the peak Might be nice to hear i’m just beginning Once in a while but who’s catching on to that Sent home early for a cluster headache Because boredom and dissociation Making eight-fifty an hour makes me sound like such a scab Might be nice to hear i’m just beginning Once in a while but who’s latching on to that The wall-sized signs will tell them what they need to know Just let me hang out in the freezer in the back With all the ribeyes and the soup no one knows comes in a bag
9.
sweating buckets, shortness of breath job secure but there's an itch i gotta scratch sensation's post-vacation craving novel stimulation no one asks or knows they should worst part is knowing if you asked them then they would but your head's down, and you're nodding, tell your reflection that it's stalling always a chance that the plane's going down and you won't get where you're going what all that daytime TV’s been telling you is spinning gears, no use, validating rumors you don't inspire me like you used to you don't inspire me like you used to and i didn't sign up for any of this. Well, you don't inspire me like you used to do Don’t inspire me like you used to do "take more time out to note all the victories" "yeah, but doc, imagine moving to the beach! I don't mean actually on the beach, but somewhere there's ocean, at least, nearby what a life that could be" the envy of my former colleagues pictures of sunsets from branches of palm trees highways'd part on sight of the RV I live in, what's the limit? fleeting at best, and it fleeted away floor of the ashtray by the end of the day way home, lost the key to the lock on my lockbox rammed an elbow straight through a plate glass window you don't inspire me like you used to you don't inspire me like you used to oh, i didn't sign up for any of this Well, you don't inspire me like you used to do Don’t inspire me like you used to do Don’t inspire me like you used to do Never wonder how the story breaks down The Story’s up to you Never wonder how nor why you break down It’s all a part of you
10.
Manila 04:14
packing all expressions away folding the tiny fastener down another day will see this manila envelope opened again, where will you be, my friend? oh Balcony at a piece of performance art, or the back booth of a culver’s, or a marriott courtyard in some suburb of some metropolitan area you've never been when will you be opening it again? cannonballing off of the pier with your new bleach blonde hair i remember you well, but not why we were there twenty-07, twelve years ago, an impressionist old canvas of impressionable ego and although i suppose i could take it as proof it's all makeshift, the way the sun looks from inside of an eyelid, right now it makes me angry which we've learned is merely sadness pushing outward, ever outward till it bursts Oh, we know you can't be perfect could you at least try to be good so you can say "this came out better than I thought it would" ideally, by the time you settle down, you'll bring a lightness to your town and all those around Remember: every mayor, beloved NBA player, every saint's been caught in the perennial cliche you’re living now Siphon off a bit of the poise you seek Shaking your head glibly when they try to read your face and they guess you’re a pisces As if you’ve ever thought of it for longer than a minute As if you want to be here or give a shit Assume they’re giving one back, at this point a leap, “I’m taurus” you crack, and they ask if you have weed And for the first time in at least a decade, you do truly wish you could say, “Yes I do and it’s really good, let us go obfuscate This kitchenette we’re in, because i’m tired of my two friends, I’m tired of congenial misery” But lying don’t come easy anymore, a hundred shoes outside the door but you can’t find yours, And Life is full of subtle changes, this ain’t one, to some you’re lame; but you’re comfortable Maybe by the time you leave your town And get a thousand miles down you’ll turn around Because you miss the stale emotion and the sounds of train stops passing and all that you can’t stand to even think about right now

about

Telethon. You might know them as the band that wrote a rock opera about being extremely and apocalyptically online, or the guys who released a lyric video via a Gmail screenshare. Maybe you’ve never heard of them until now, because you’re reading this blurb for their Take This to Heart Records debut, Hard Pop. In any case, this album—which drops June 21—is hard pop both in name and nuance, and it’s a perfect combination of whatever this one group’s wild Midwest ambition can offer.

But wait! I know what you’re thinking. This is the band that recites Kafka and opens their releases with skits? Where are they?! I was promised something wacky judging by their Twitter presence. The wackiest thing of all? Hard Pop is just ten tracks, all of them boasting surefire singalongs. Sure, there are plenty of surprises, like the two-part cinematics of “House of the Future” or the ska breakdown on “Manila,” but the most astounding thing of all is how united Hard Pop is. After all, it’s the first document of a genre Telethon is coining themselves, promising songs with chewy centers but a crunchy outer layer filled with the fuzz of doubt, disappointment, muses lost to darker times. Just listen to the jangly swagger on “Youdon’tinspiremelikeyouusedto” or the tale of pain and dejection on “Sirens.” These are contemplative songs masquerading as rock radio hits, delivered with a smirk rather than sunk gazes.

So who is Telethon now? The band confident enough to embrace darkness with a goofy brightness that betrays its emotional center? That’s for you to find out.

"Hard Pop" is out now on 12"/CD/Digital via Take This To Heart Records

credits

released June 21, 2019

Kevin Tully - Lyrics + Lead Vocals + Acoustic guitar on 'House of the Future' + Guitar solo in 'Wanderparty'
Jack Sibilski - Lead Guitar + Backing vocals
Erik Atwell - Drums + Auxiliary Percussion + Drum pad
Gene 'Nate Johnson' Jacket - Piano + electric piano + organ + synthesizer + backing vocals
Alex 'DeepSoundz' Meylink - Bass + backing vocals

Produced by Jack Shirley and Telethon at the Atomic Garden East in Oakland, California, USA
Tracked, engineered, mixed, and mastered by Jack Shirley

Willow Hawks (of the Sonder Bombs) - Guest & backing vocals on tracks 1, 4, 6, 7, and 8
Jimmy Wilkens (also of the Sonder Bombs) - Tracking of Willow Hawks' vocals

Peter Hess -  winds and strings arrangement/tracking at Fort St. Marks in Brooklyn, NY + performed all tenor and baritone saxophones + clarinet + bass clarinet + flute + alto flute 
Dana Lyn - violin
Justin Mullens - trumpet & French horn
Adam Dotson - trombone
Emily Hope Price - cello

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Telethon Wisconsin

Powerpoppunkrock for the modern kids

Thank you for listening.
telethonband@gmail.com

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