mp3: "Learning Curves" - Weller

words: Sarah Hojsak

Philadelphia’s Weller seem to have a good grasp on their own confusion. The three-piece, who are set to release a self-titled debut full-length later this month, are expertly introspective, dwelling on the anxieties of everyday life in a calm and levelheaded manner. Lead single “Learning Curves” draws on the tension between living in your own head and trying to inhabit someone else’s perspective without knowing how they’re really feeling. “What’s you game? What’s your angle?,” Weller frontman Harrison Nantz wonders, stating bluntly that “It’s been a good week / This isn’t how I thought I’d spend a Friday night again.” The song is concise and full of catchy hooks while tinged with restlessness and yearning, its candid storytelling coming alive in vivid imagery. Weller encapsulate the setbacks and challenges of navigating relationships in a way that avoids becoming wholly resigned, instead taking on a sunny tone and an ever-positive, never-give-up attitude.  

Weller’s upcoming LP is the follow-up to their 2016 debut EP Career Fair, and was produced by Jake Ewald of Modern Baseball fame. It’ll be available everywhere digitally on Oct. 20.