EP: maritime e.p. - The Umbrellas
words: Erika Delgado Aceves
Longing for innocence and joy when depressed and living in 2019 sometimes feels pointless. It’s why I’ve been so dedicated to Twee music (TWEE, adjective, meaning extremely cute or indie pop music that grew in fame through the NME release of their C86 compilation cassette released in 1986). Twee music is more than just being incredibly cute because in a time where we have to keep up appearances while endlessly feeling lost, twee music truly hits the spot. There is just a very special way Twee sounds sweet, innocent, and joyful while having lyrics that are truly depressing. It’s not just a mood, but the mood.
Recently, there’s been an influx of new bands reviving twee. Bands that really just want to make a great pop song in a depressing ass time. The Umbrellas from the Bay Area is just one of these bands.
The Umbrellas maritime e.p. sounds like something that should have been on Sarah Records in the early ‘90s, but it’s by human beings who were barely being born in the ‘90s. I can’t even call it a modern take, because it feels timeless. If I didn’t know them, I’d assume they were a ‘90s band, but I do know them and I know the youngest member is barely 21. We’re in a time, where feeling nostalgic is a coping mechanism. We’re diving into what we’ve loved and what we could love. Diving deeper and deeper until all emotions are just soaked in a layer of hopeful delusion.
Maritime e.p. is more than a hopeful delusion, it’s a hopeful reality. Even in times where we feel like we might be drowning, we can stay kind to ourselves and learn to cope or maybe just dance and dress like someone from a Belle and Sebastion album cover.
The whole album is my favorite song.