Thank You, I’m Sorry arrived on the scene in 2020 with their singles “How Many Slugs Can We Throw Against the Wall Until We Question Our Own Mortality” (the song that made me realize they were an emo band from length of title alone) and “Manic Pixie Dream Hurl.” Since then, they have released three albums and a slew of singles that have helped give them a good foundation moving forward. February 27th they released a new single they’ll surely be performing in their ongoing tour with Early Eyes, titled “When I Come East.”
“When I Come East” has a grungy feel with its backing guitar, bass, and drums, the screeching guitar at the beginning setting a harsh tone that the band isn’t really known for. Once the lyrics arrive, however, the tonality is turned down, falling a little bit more into what I’ve come to expect from the band. Coleen Dow and their voice have always felt perfect for the lyrics the band writes, the mood of the song perfectly set. I can particularly appreciate this when the instruments drop out at 0:46, Sage Livergood’s drumming pushing us straight back into the song itself. Both guitarists do well in the following section, accompanying Bethunni Schreiner’s rhythmic bass.
The song itself deals with traveling East to the Midwest to visit who I can imagine are online friends who’ve lied to them. For me, this song really resonated, my personal journey to the University of Alabama starting in a high school conference room in Ohio. I can’t say I’ve ever traveled from the West Coast East, but I feel what they feel every time I go home, I feel the same way they do hearing of my friends’ friends back home and of my friends I’ve lost since coming to college. For a great number of Alabama students, this song will remind you of your own journey, and for fans of emo, I think you’ll like the song for the other parts as well.
Photo Credits from: Stereogum
