WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.339 The Deep Dive. Looked Up, plus four in the Like 00:00:03.339 --> 00:00:06.139 Young's indie power pop blueprint. Join us for 00:00:06.139 --> 00:00:09.080 a deep dive into the 2002 indie rock EP Looked 00:00:09.080 --> 00:00:11.650 Up, plus four by the Like Young. If you are curious 00:00:11.650 --> 00:00:13.769 about how bands transition their sound and pack 00:00:13.769 --> 00:00:16.230 massive energy into a short runtime, this is 00:00:16.230 --> 00:00:18.829 for you. We explore how Amanda and Joseph Ziemba 00:00:18.829 --> 00:00:21.230 evolved from their previous projects, Wolfie 00:00:21.230 --> 00:00:24.230 and Busy Toby, to craft a raw, uninhibited power 00:00:24.230 --> 00:00:26.629 pop sound for Kitteridge Records. Discover why 00:00:26.629 --> 00:00:29.030 critics praise their monstrous riffs while debating 00:00:29.030 --> 00:00:31.530 their tangential lyrics. Whether you're a longtime 00:00:31.530 --> 00:00:34.329 fan of 2000s indie rock or just love discovering 00:00:34.329 --> 00:00:37.009 hidden musical gems, this deep dive unpacks the 00:00:37.009 --> 00:00:39.789 anatomy of a perfect, ear -friendly quick ride. 00:00:40.240 --> 00:00:42.799 Keywords, The Like Young, Looked Up Plus 4, 2002 00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:45.500 EP, Indie Rock, Power Pop, Kittredge Records, 00:00:45.820 --> 00:00:48.000 Joe Ziemba, Amanda Ziemba, Wolfie, Busy Toby, 00:00:48.200 --> 00:00:50.299 Pop Matters, exclaim. Welcome to the Deep Dive. 00:00:50.420 --> 00:00:52.899 You know, back in 2002, Amanda and Joseph Ziemba 00:00:52.899 --> 00:00:55.539 did something, well, something most artists are 00:00:55.539 --> 00:00:57.799 absolutely terrified to do. They completely blew 00:00:57.799 --> 00:01:00.280 up their established musical identity. Exactly. 00:01:00.280 --> 00:01:02.159 They just started from scratch. And we're jumping 00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:04.819 straight into the resulting fallout today. We're 00:01:04.819 --> 00:01:07.640 unpacking a perfectly distilled slice of early 00:01:07.640 --> 00:01:12.780 2000s indie rock history. The 2002 EP titled 00:01:12.780 --> 00:01:16.359 Looked Up, plus four by the band The Like Young. 00:01:16.540 --> 00:01:18.659 It's such a fascinating release to look back 00:01:18.659 --> 00:01:21.719 on. It really is. And look. If you are fascinated 00:01:21.719 --> 00:01:24.560 by how bands pivot, how they shed the weight 00:01:24.560 --> 00:01:26.900 of their past to build a completely new sound, 00:01:27.060 --> 00:01:28.959 you are going to love this. Yeah, the transition 00:01:28.959 --> 00:01:31.060 is the best part. Right, and how they manage 00:01:31.060 --> 00:01:35.060 to pack a massive wallop of energy into a plink 00:01:35.060 --> 00:01:36.920 and you miss it runtime. Yeah. We are pulling 00:01:36.920 --> 00:01:39.560 directly from the EP's historical footprint today. 00:01:39.700 --> 00:01:41.659 And the critical record as well. Right, to understand 00:01:41.659 --> 00:01:43.760 how this tiny 10 -minute collection of songs 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:46.939 managed to set a blueprint for an entire era 00:01:46.939 --> 00:01:49.140 of their career. Which is a heavy lift for an 00:01:49.140 --> 00:01:51.450 EP. It really is. Yeah. But for a listener who 00:01:51.450 --> 00:01:54.129 loves gaining knowledge quickly, an EP and extended 00:01:54.129 --> 00:01:56.629 play is the perfect musical equivalent. Oh, absolutely. 00:01:56.890 --> 00:01:59.049 It's short, it's impactful, and it's absolutely 00:01:59.049 --> 00:02:01.409 bursting with unedited ideas. What's fascinating 00:02:01.409 --> 00:02:04.230 here is how a brief release like this serves 00:02:04.230 --> 00:02:07.709 as the ultimate creative laboratory. We so often 00:02:07.709 --> 00:02:10.849 look at massive full -length studio albums as 00:02:10.849 --> 00:02:13.370 the defining milestones in a band's career, right? 00:02:13.490 --> 00:02:15.770 Of course. That's the standard narrative. But 00:02:15.770 --> 00:02:19.169 EPs are where the actual messy evolution happens. 00:02:18.990 --> 00:02:21.389 happens behind the scenes it's the transitional 00:02:21.389 --> 00:02:23.969 space yeah that's a great way to put it in this 00:02:23.969 --> 00:02:26.930 deep dive we are going to explore how the like 00:02:26.930 --> 00:02:29.629 young use this specific format to test their 00:02:29.629 --> 00:02:33.110 boundaries we will be analyzing not just the 00:02:33.110 --> 00:02:36.110 structural anatomy of this incredibly dense music 00:02:36.110 --> 00:02:38.750 but the critical reception that surrounded it 00:02:38.750 --> 00:02:40.469 because the critics definitely had some things 00:02:40.469 --> 00:02:42.669 to say they were highly divided on certain elements 00:02:42.669 --> 00:02:45.349 of this raw sound and looking at those debates 00:02:45.349 --> 00:02:48.280 gives us a really clear window into the indie 00:02:48.280 --> 00:02:51.099 rock landscape of the early 2000s. Okay, let's 00:02:51.099 --> 00:02:53.300 unpack this. Yeah. Because to really understand 00:02:53.300 --> 00:02:56.120 the noise on this record, we have to look closely 00:02:56.120 --> 00:02:58.139 at the architects building it. The personnel. 00:02:58.219 --> 00:03:01.199 Right. Like Young isn't some sprawling seven 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:03.219 -piece collective fighting for space on a mixing 00:03:03.219 --> 00:03:06.580 board. It is a tightly knit duo. Just two people. 00:03:06.659 --> 00:03:09.020 Just two. Yeah. You have Amanda Zima, who is 00:03:09.020 --> 00:03:12.419 handling the drums and the vocals. And then you 00:03:12.419 --> 00:03:16.159 have Joseph A. Zimba carrying a... genuinely 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:18.500 massive load here. Oh, yeah. He's doing a lot. 00:03:18.580 --> 00:03:20.780 He's on bass. He's playing guitar. He's providing 00:03:20.780 --> 00:03:24.960 vocals. And crucially, he stepped up to act as 00:03:24.960 --> 00:03:28.120 the producer for the entire EP. That's the detail 00:03:28.120 --> 00:03:30.520 that changes everything. Right. This is a completely 00:03:30.520 --> 00:03:34.370 in -house, self -contained creative engine. They 00:03:34.370 --> 00:03:36.430 aren't outsourcing their sound to anyone. And 00:03:36.430 --> 00:03:38.930 that self -contained nature fundamentally shapes 00:03:38.930 --> 00:03:41.689 what you are hearing. How so? Well, when an artist 00:03:41.689 --> 00:03:43.590 takes on the production role, especially in a 00:03:43.590 --> 00:03:46.189 transitionary phase like they were in, they are 00:03:46.189 --> 00:03:48.849 creating a protective bubble around their ideas. 00:03:49.210 --> 00:03:52.050 I see. There is no outside voice sitting in the 00:03:52.050 --> 00:03:54.590 studio telling them to polish a rough edge or... 00:03:55.240 --> 00:03:57.740 or slow down at tempo. It's pure, unfiltered 00:03:57.740 --> 00:04:00.560 intent. Exactly. And if we connect this to the 00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:02.919 bigger picture, we have to recognize their musical 00:04:02.919 --> 00:04:05.400 ancestry. Right, because they didn't just appear 00:04:05.400 --> 00:04:07.900 out of nowhere. No, Amanda and Joseph weren't 00:04:07.900 --> 00:04:09.960 novices trying to figure out how to plug in a 00:04:09.960 --> 00:04:12.199 guitar for the first time. They had a real pedigree. 00:04:12.300 --> 00:04:14.400 They formerly played in the bands Wolfie and 00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:18.100 Beezy Toby. Yeah. And leaving established projects 00:04:18.100 --> 00:04:20.860 like that to start a brand new one is a massive 00:04:20.860 --> 00:04:23.040 leap of faith. It's terrifying. You're walking 00:04:23.040 --> 00:04:25.199 away from a built -in audience. It's a deliberate 00:04:25.199 --> 00:04:27.500 untettering. When you walk away from a project 00:04:27.500 --> 00:04:29.899 with an established fan base and a defined aesthetic, 00:04:30.199 --> 00:04:33.000 you are essentially buying yourself a blank canvas. 00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:35.899 They were no longer beholden to whatever sonic 00:04:35.899 --> 00:04:39.300 expectations people had for Wolfie. Or for Busy 00:04:39.300 --> 00:04:42.019 Poby. Right. The Like Young was their opportunity 00:04:42.019 --> 00:04:45.819 to completely redefine their creative boundaries 00:04:45.819 --> 00:04:48.959 on their own terms without any legacy baggage 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:51.540 weighing them down. And they painted that blank 00:04:51.540 --> 00:04:53.819 canvas at a breakneck pace. They really did. 00:04:54.139 --> 00:04:57.420 This EP was released in 2002 by Kittredge Records, 00:04:57.620 --> 00:04:59.600 but the surrounding timeline is what makes it 00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:01.560 so compelling. Let's look at the timeline because 00:05:01.560 --> 00:05:03.980 it's intense. The Like Young had already released 00:05:03.980 --> 00:05:07.230 another project that exact same year. Their initial 00:05:07.230 --> 00:05:10.389 release, S .T. Monroe slash The Like Young. So 00:05:10.389 --> 00:05:13.430 that's already one release in 2002. Right. And 00:05:13.430 --> 00:05:15.569 almost immediately after Looked Up plus four 00:05:15.569 --> 00:05:19.350 drops, they follow it up with their 2003 studio 00:05:19.350 --> 00:05:23.910 album Art Contest. Wow. Think of this EP as a 00:05:23.910 --> 00:05:27.430 bridge connecting two major landmasses in their 00:05:27.430 --> 00:05:30.430 career. They are practically sprinting across 00:05:30.430 --> 00:05:33.410 this bridge. Just figuring out their exact signature 00:05:33.410 --> 00:05:36.170 sound in real time. Yeah, and doing it in front 00:05:36.170 --> 00:05:38.709 of an audience. The momentum is staggering when 00:05:38.709 --> 00:05:41.069 you look at that timeline. It is. Releasing an 00:05:41.069 --> 00:05:44.769 initial project, a defining EP, and a full studio 00:05:44.769 --> 00:05:47.649 album in essentially a two -year window, that 00:05:47.649 --> 00:05:50.970 implies a very specific kind of creative fever. 00:05:51.189 --> 00:05:52.970 Like they couldn't get the ideas out fast enough. 00:05:53.089 --> 00:05:56.350 Exactly. They were actively iterating by keeping 00:05:56.350 --> 00:05:58.949 the production entirely... in Joe's hands, they 00:05:58.949 --> 00:06:01.689 ensured that the raw, immediate translation of 00:06:01.689 --> 00:06:03.589 their new ideas made it to tape. Before they 00:06:03.589 --> 00:06:05.470 had time to second guess themselves. Right. It's 00:06:05.470 --> 00:06:08.310 a snapshot of a band in hyper evolution. Which 00:06:08.310 --> 00:06:10.709 brings us to the actual anatomy of this project, 00:06:10.889 --> 00:06:13.589 track by track. The quick ride. The very quick 00:06:13.589 --> 00:06:15.310 ride. When we call this a quick ride, we mean 00:06:15.310 --> 00:06:17.649 it. Brevity isn't just a feature of this EP, 00:06:17.870 --> 00:06:21.209 it is their absolute superpower. Definitely. 00:06:21.310 --> 00:06:23.269 The band wrote every single track themselves. 00:06:23.750 --> 00:06:26.790 And the track list is a masterclass in getting 00:06:26.790 --> 00:06:28.730 straight to the point without wasting a single 00:06:28.730 --> 00:06:32.310 second. The track lengths are wild. Let me just 00:06:32.310 --> 00:06:34.810 list these off for you. The longest track on 00:06:34.810 --> 00:06:36.910 here barely scratches two and a half minutes. 00:06:37.129 --> 00:06:39.829 Right. You have the title track looked up at 00:06:39.829 --> 00:06:42.189 two minutes and 20 seconds. Which feels standard 00:06:42.189 --> 00:06:45.579 for a punk adjacent song. Sure. But then, bad 00:06:45.579 --> 00:06:48.779 excuse, shaves that down to a mere 1 minute and 00:06:48.779 --> 00:06:52.540 54 seconds. Then you hit the track Freddy, which 00:06:52.540 --> 00:06:55.220 is over in a blistering 1 minute and 23 seconds. 00:06:55.420 --> 00:06:58.680 1 minute and 23 seconds. It's over before you 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:01.139 even realize it started. It's barely an intro 00:07:01.139 --> 00:07:02.879 for some bands. I mean, that kind of runtime 00:07:02.879 --> 00:07:05.319 requires an immense amount of discipline. It 00:07:05.319 --> 00:07:08.420 really does. And then the final two tracks, Threshold 00:07:08.420 --> 00:07:11.009 Person and You Can't Get It Back. both hover 00:07:11.009 --> 00:07:13.310 right around that 2 minute and 20 second mark. 00:07:13.449 --> 00:07:15.730 Yeah. And here's where it gets really interesting. 00:07:16.189 --> 00:07:19.430 If you run the math on those five tracks, this 00:07:19.430 --> 00:07:22.250 entire musical statement clocks in at roughly 00:07:22.250 --> 00:07:25.230 10 and a half minutes total. 10 and a half minutes? 00:07:25.470 --> 00:07:28.589 You are getting an entire era of a band's evolution. 00:07:29.360 --> 00:07:31.240 And the time it takes to walk around the block. 00:07:31.459 --> 00:07:34.959 And that incredibly dense runtime is the key 00:07:34.959 --> 00:07:37.620 to why the EP succeeds. You think the brevity 00:07:37.620 --> 00:07:40.019 is the secret ingredient. Absolutely. When you 00:07:40.019 --> 00:07:42.199 look at the genres this release is categorized 00:07:42.199 --> 00:07:45.519 under, indie rock and power pop, those track 00:07:45.519 --> 00:07:47.680 lengths make perfect sense. How so? Let's break 00:07:47.680 --> 00:07:50.199 that down. Well, power pop as a genre is entirely 00:07:50.199 --> 00:07:52.579 built around delivering maximum melodic impact. 00:07:52.860 --> 00:07:55.120 Right. Big hooks. It relies on the aggressive, 00:07:55.240 --> 00:07:58.319 unpolished energy of rock and roll, but it marries 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:01.250 it to... the relentlessly catchy, hook -driven 00:08:01.250 --> 00:08:04.949 structures of pop music. There is zero room for 00:08:04.949 --> 00:08:07.649 a sprawling three -minute guitar solo in that 00:08:07.649 --> 00:08:10.110 formula. No room at all. Or a moody, atmospheric 00:08:10.110 --> 00:08:13.329 intro. It's an editorial ruthlessness. Editorial 00:08:13.329 --> 00:08:15.149 ruthlessness is the perfect way to phrase it. 00:08:15.189 --> 00:08:17.069 It respects your time. Yeah, that's true. For 00:08:17.069 --> 00:08:19.389 a listener today, navigating the modern landscape 00:08:19.389 --> 00:08:22.829 of bloated media and endless content, a 10 -minute 00:08:22.829 --> 00:08:25.370 EP that refuses to waste a single second of your 00:08:25.370 --> 00:08:28.220 attention feels incredibly refreshing. They get 00:08:28.220 --> 00:08:30.540 in, they deliver the hook with maximum force, 00:08:30.600 --> 00:08:33.039 and they get out. Exactly. It's the musical equivalent 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:36.120 of a double espresso shot. Yeah. Just pure, highly 00:08:36.120 --> 00:08:38.519 concentrated energy. And the critics at the time 00:08:38.519 --> 00:08:41.440 noticed. They certainly did. The critics operating 00:08:41.440 --> 00:08:45.919 in the indie rock scene back in 2002 really took 00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:48.700 notice of what the like young was trying to do. 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:51.120 What was the general consensus? The overarching 00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:54.399 consensus was that looked up. plus four, served 00:08:54.399 --> 00:08:57.500 as a fantastic, undeniable introduction to their 00:08:57.500 --> 00:09:00.740 new identity. Critics broadly saw it as catchy, 00:09:00.940 --> 00:09:04.340 well -written, and a incredibly solid opening 00:09:04.340 --> 00:09:06.980 argument for their stripped -down sound. The 00:09:06.980 --> 00:09:09.820 critical record from that specific era provides 00:09:09.820 --> 00:09:12.379 us with some vital insight into how this transition 00:09:12.379 --> 00:09:14.789 was actually received in the moment. Let's talk 00:09:14.789 --> 00:09:17.149 about some of those specific reviews. Well, Cam 00:09:17.149 --> 00:09:20.169 Lindsay, writing for Exclaim, was highly complimentary 00:09:20.169 --> 00:09:21.970 of the project. Yeah, Lindsay had some great 00:09:21.970 --> 00:09:24.429 things to say. Lindsay praised the tracks as 00:09:24.429 --> 00:09:28.470 catchy, ear -friendly power pop, which validates 00:09:28.470 --> 00:09:31.049 that pop sensibility we just discussed. But the 00:09:31.049 --> 00:09:33.629 detail Lindsay highlighted that really anchors 00:09:33.629 --> 00:09:37.029 the review is the mention of their monstrous 00:09:37.029 --> 00:09:40.159 riffs. I can't get over that phrase. Monstrous 00:09:40.159 --> 00:09:42.480 riffs. It's a great description. It creates such 00:09:42.480 --> 00:09:45.460 a brilliant contrast in your mind. Because when 00:09:45.460 --> 00:09:48.259 you think of a song that is only one minute and 00:09:48.259 --> 00:09:51.500 23 seconds long, your brain naturally assumes 00:09:51.500 --> 00:09:54.179 it must be something light. Right. Maybe a bit 00:09:54.179 --> 00:09:57.360 flimsy. Or acoustic, yeah. But instead, they 00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:00.259 are packing these massive, heavy, sludgy guitar 00:10:00.259 --> 00:10:04.059 riffs into these tiny, bite -sized pop structures. 00:10:04.419 --> 00:10:06.919 It's all about the friction. The friction between 00:10:06.919 --> 00:10:09.000 the heavy instrumentation and the bright pop 00:10:09.000 --> 00:10:11.659 melody is exactly what makes it work. It creates 00:10:11.659 --> 00:10:14.720 a wildly dense sonic experience. You are being 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:17.100 hit with the sonic weight of a heavy metal track, 00:10:17.279 --> 00:10:19.620 but the pacing and the melody of a Beatles single. 00:10:19.940 --> 00:10:22.220 That's a great comparison. Dave Heaton, reviewing 00:10:22.220 --> 00:10:24.720 the EP for Pop Matters, picked up on a similar 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:27.360 thread. Heaton's review is fascinating. He famously 00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:29.759 described the album as a quick ride, but a fantastic 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:32.120 one. But his review actually gets at something 00:10:32.120 --> 00:10:34.440 deeper regarding their transition. Right, about 00:10:34.440 --> 00:10:38.370 their past work. Yes. He noted that fans of the 00:10:38.370 --> 00:10:40.929 Zimbas' previous endeavors in Wolfie and Busy 00:10:40.929 --> 00:10:43.490 Toby wouldn't be completely alienated. Even though 00:10:43.490 --> 00:10:45.970 the sound was different. Right. He argued the 00:10:45.970 --> 00:10:47.990 sound would actually feel familiar to those old 00:10:47.990 --> 00:10:50.710 fans. He used this fantastic analogy to explain 00:10:50.710 --> 00:10:53.570 that. He said the sound was familiar, but in 00:10:53.570 --> 00:10:56.049 somewhat different musical clothes. Different 00:10:56.049 --> 00:10:58.470 musical clothes. It paints such a vivid picture 00:10:58.470 --> 00:11:01.490 of a band evolving without losing their soul. 00:11:01.710 --> 00:11:04.779 The core DNA is still there. Exactly. The way 00:11:04.779 --> 00:11:06.970 Amanda and Joseph structure a melody, the way 00:11:06.970 --> 00:11:09.070 they harmonize their innate sense of rhythm, 00:11:09.230 --> 00:11:11.549 that's all still perfectly intact. They just 00:11:11.549 --> 00:11:13.690 went into the closet, threw out the old aesthetic, 00:11:13.950 --> 00:11:16.090 and dressed those same songwriting instincts 00:11:16.090 --> 00:11:18.769 in something much punchier. Heavier, more direct. 00:11:18.970 --> 00:11:21.210 It's a crucial observation by Heaton because 00:11:21.210 --> 00:11:23.529 it highlights that true artistic transitions 00:11:23.529 --> 00:11:26.929 rarely erase the past entirely. They don't. They 00:11:26.929 --> 00:11:30.149 recontextualize it. The different musical clothes 00:11:30.149 --> 00:11:32.669 in this case happen to be the distilled, aggressive 00:11:32.669 --> 00:11:36.059 textures of power pop. They weaponize... the 00:11:36.059 --> 00:11:38.440 pop sensibilities they already possessed. But, 00:11:38.460 --> 00:11:41.840 as with any piece of art that takes risks, it 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:44.679 wasn't universally flawless praise across the 00:11:44.679 --> 00:11:47.379 board. Rarely is. Right. To really understand 00:11:47.379 --> 00:11:49.879 the impact of the EP, we have to look at the 00:11:49.879 --> 00:11:52.539 full spectrum of reception. And that includes 00:11:52.539 --> 00:11:55.100 the friction. There's definitely some dissenting 00:11:55.100 --> 00:11:58.100 nuance. Yeah. From Angelo De Iesso II, writing 00:11:58.100 --> 00:12:01.669 for In Music We Trust. What was his take? Well, 00:12:01.750 --> 00:12:03.990 he actually started with some very high praise. 00:12:04.110 --> 00:12:07.029 He called the album raw and uninhibited. Which 00:12:07.029 --> 00:12:09.350 is high praise for indie rock. Let's be honest. 00:12:09.429 --> 00:12:11.590 If you were putting out a 10 minute indie rock 00:12:11.590 --> 00:12:14.990 EP, raw and uninhibited is the ultimate compliment. 00:12:15.480 --> 00:12:17.700 It practically was the gold standard for that 00:12:17.700 --> 00:12:20.980 specific era of early 2000s indie rock. Definitely. 00:12:21.200 --> 00:12:24.440 That label implies a distinct lack of overproduction, 00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:27.620 a certain honesty and urgency in the vocal performance. 00:12:27.840 --> 00:12:30.399 Right. It feels alive. It means Josie Emma's 00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:32.600 production choices worked. He captured lightning 00:12:32.600 --> 00:12:34.700 in a bottle rather than polishing the life out 00:12:34.700 --> 00:12:36.620 of it. But here is where the critique comes in. 00:12:36.759 --> 00:12:40.450 The dissenting nuance. Exactly. While he loved 00:12:40.450 --> 00:12:43.669 that raw, frantic energy, he was critical of 00:12:43.669 --> 00:12:46.169 the lyrical content. He specifically described 00:12:46.169 --> 00:12:49.909 the lyrics as tangential. Tangential. Yeah. He 00:12:49.909 --> 00:12:52.350 felt the words were wandering off topic or perhaps 00:12:52.350 --> 00:12:54.870 lacking the sharp, focused narrative structure 00:12:54.870 --> 00:12:57.769 that matched those incredibly tight musical arrangements. 00:12:58.090 --> 00:13:00.289 Like the lyrics were trailing behind the music. 00:13:00.529 --> 00:13:03.169 Essentially, yes. He felt the lyrics couldn't 00:13:03.169 --> 00:13:05.049 keep up with the discipline of the music itself. 00:13:05.330 --> 00:13:07.570 This raises an important question, and it's one 00:13:07.570 --> 00:13:09.750 that sits at the very heart of the indie rock 00:13:09.750 --> 00:13:12.169 genre. I agree. It's a fundamental debate. Can 00:13:12.169 --> 00:13:14.909 a song be effectively raw and uninhibited if 00:13:14.909 --> 00:13:17.389 its lyrics wander? Right. Or to view it from 00:13:17.389 --> 00:13:19.529 a completely different angle for you as the listener, 00:13:19.710 --> 00:13:22.350 does that tangential nature actually enhance 00:13:22.350 --> 00:13:25.070 the raw, unpolished vibe of the record? That's 00:13:25.070 --> 00:13:27.210 the real question. When you only have one minute 00:13:27.210 --> 00:13:30.230 and 54 seconds to scream a thought into a microphone, 00:13:30.389 --> 00:13:33.710 like on the track Bad Excuse. Do those lyrics 00:13:33.710 --> 00:13:36.769 need to form a perfectly structured, linear narrative? 00:13:37.149 --> 00:13:39.669 Probably not. Or is it actually more authentic 00:13:39.669 --> 00:13:43.429 to just capture a fleeting, scattered, disorganized 00:13:43.429 --> 00:13:45.809 human thought? That reframes the entire critique 00:13:45.809 --> 00:13:48.210 for me. Right. When you are spilling your guts 00:13:48.210 --> 00:13:51.649 over a massive, monstrous guitar riff, your thoughts 00:13:51.649 --> 00:13:53.789 aren't going to be neatly organized into a thesis 00:13:53.789 --> 00:13:55.529 statement. Mine was going to be messy. They're 00:13:55.529 --> 00:13:57.610 going to be a little tangential. a little scattered 00:13:57.610 --> 00:14:00.490 because anxiety and human emotion are inherently 00:14:00.490 --> 00:14:03.289 tangential. Exactly. The wandering lyrics might 00:14:03.289 --> 00:14:05.289 just be the most honest part of the record. We 00:14:05.289 --> 00:14:08.350 want to impartially present both sides of this 00:14:08.350 --> 00:14:10.710 critical coin because it's a debate that still 00:14:10.710 --> 00:14:13.169 happens in music criticism today. At the time. 00:14:13.500 --> 00:14:16.179 On one hand, the critique from In Music We Trust 00:14:16.179 --> 00:14:19.139 suggests a missed opportunity. That tighter, 00:14:19.240 --> 00:14:22.840 more deliberately focused lyrics might have elevated 00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:26.059 these incredibly catchy songs into undeniable 00:14:26.059 --> 00:14:28.659 anthems. Which is a fair point. Precision has 00:14:28.659 --> 00:14:32.580 value. It does. On the other hand, a hyper -polished 00:14:32.580 --> 00:14:35.720 lyric sheet might have completely destroyed the 00:14:35.720 --> 00:14:38.759 raw and uninhibited charm that made the EP work 00:14:38.759 --> 00:14:40.840 in the first place. The imperfections are the 00:14:40.840 --> 00:14:44.600 point. Right. It is entirely up to you, as the 00:14:44.600 --> 00:14:47.120 listener, to decide which element holds more 00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:50.539 artistic weight, cohesive, linear storytelling, 00:14:50.919 --> 00:14:54.700 or raw, unfiltered emotional delivery. So what 00:14:54.700 --> 00:14:56.679 does this all mean? Looking at the big picture. 00:14:56.860 --> 00:14:59.299 Yeah. When we look back at the entirety of Looked 00:14:59.299 --> 00:15:01.980 Up Plus Four, we aren't just looking at ten and 00:15:01.980 --> 00:15:04.460 a half minutes of aggressive power pop from 2002. 00:15:04.919 --> 00:15:07.419 No, it's more than that. We are looking at a 00:15:07.419 --> 00:15:12.259 potent, self -produced blueprint. This tiny EP 00:15:12.259 --> 00:15:16.240 set the entire stage for the Like Young's subsequent 00:15:16.240 --> 00:15:19.100 highly prolific run of studio albums. It was 00:15:19.100 --> 00:15:21.820 the foundation. They took this raw, uninhibited 00:15:21.820 --> 00:15:24.000 energy, figured out exactly how their new musical 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:26.440 clothes fit, and channeled that momentum straight 00:15:26.440 --> 00:15:29.220 into their 2003 album art contest. And they didn't 00:15:29.220 --> 00:15:31.500 stop there. Not at all. They followed that up 00:15:31.500 --> 00:15:35.460 with So Serious in 2004 and Last Secrets in 2006. 00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:39.139 This EP was the spark that proved their new concept 00:15:39.139 --> 00:15:42.139 worked. It serves as a powerful reminder of the 00:15:42.139 --> 00:15:45.399 deep value of experimentation and brevity. I 00:15:45.399 --> 00:15:46.860 think we can all take something away from that. 00:15:47.179 --> 00:15:50.120 Just like the Zimbas trying on new textures to 00:15:50.120 --> 00:15:52.879 see what fit best, we all go through transitional 00:15:52.879 --> 00:15:55.720 phases in our own lives, our careers, and our 00:15:55.720 --> 00:15:58.840 creative pursuits. Sometimes the best way forward 00:15:58.840 --> 00:16:01.200 isn't to lock yourself away and meticulously 00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:04.659 plan a massive years -long master project. That 00:16:04.659 --> 00:16:07.279 could be paralyzing. It really can. Sometimes 00:16:07.279 --> 00:16:10.200 you just need to test out your new ideas in short, 00:16:10.279 --> 00:16:13.059 rapid bursts. You put your work out there, keep 00:16:13.059 --> 00:16:15.740 it raw and uninhibited, gather the feedback. 00:16:16.179 --> 00:16:17.980 Even the critiques about being too tangential. 00:16:18.100 --> 00:16:20.320 Exactly. Even the harsh feedback. And you use 00:16:20.320 --> 00:16:23.220 that exact momentum to commit to your next big 00:16:23.220 --> 00:16:25.620 leap. You don't always need to write the sprawling 00:16:25.620 --> 00:16:28.460 epic novel on your first day. Sometimes you just 00:16:28.460 --> 00:16:31.019 need to write five really aggressive two -minute 00:16:31.019 --> 00:16:34.519 short stories to finally find your voice. Precisely. 00:16:34.539 --> 00:16:36.679 And that leaves us with a final thought to mull 00:16:36.679 --> 00:16:39.120 over as we wrap up our analysis of this era. 00:16:39.340 --> 00:16:41.559 Let's hear it. When artists make the terrifying 00:16:41.559 --> 00:16:44.279 choice to step away from their established pasts 00:16:44.279 --> 00:16:46.919 and form something completely new, do they ever 00:16:46.919 --> 00:16:50.120 truly leave their old sound behind? Or do they 00:16:50.120 --> 00:16:53.100 just figure out how to distill... all of those 00:16:53.100 --> 00:16:56.080 past experiences, all of that history into its 00:16:56.080 --> 00:16:59.299 absolute most potent two -minute form. That is 00:16:59.299 --> 00:17:01.659 a phenomenal question to leave you with. Think 00:17:01.659 --> 00:17:04.200 about the projects, the roles, or the versions 00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:06.799 of yourself you've moved on from and how they 00:17:06.799 --> 00:17:10.140 still secretly power the foundation of what you 00:17:10.140 --> 00:17:12.430 are doing right now. They're always there under 00:17:12.430 --> 00:17:15.109 the surface. Always. Thank you so much for joining 00:17:15.109 --> 00:17:16.950 us on this deep dive. We highly encourage you 00:17:16.950 --> 00:17:19.549 to seek out the lightning fast tracks of Looked 00:17:19.549 --> 00:17:21.829 Up Plus 4 for yourself. It won't take much of 00:17:21.829 --> 00:17:23.329 your time. Take 10 and a half minutes out of 00:17:23.329 --> 00:17:25.730 your day, turn the volume all the way up, and 00:17:25.730 --> 00:17:27.690 enjoy the ride. We will see you next time.