Premiering today on the INDY website, “No Growth,” the title track on Long Relief’s forthcoming debut EP, tells a story that matches its name.
“I don’t want my life / to change,” lead singer Paul Blest intones, as the rest of the lyrics follow declarative suit: “I’m getting older every day / I don’t want to stick my neck out … I just like to talk about it / Even when I don’t do shit.”
It’s classic garage rock, with angst enmeshed in swirling guitars and a propulsive rhythm section—and the whole song is propulsive, really, high-energy and heart-punching, as it blasts through slacker purgation.
There’s a dynamic tension on “No Growth,” between wanting and doing that feels like it fits the anxiety of the moment, and earns its place on late-night summer driving playlists. And despite the declarations of the chorus, by the end of the song, catharsis has been found on the other side.
Based in the Triangle, No Relief is Paul Blest, Chris Carr, Jeremiah Sloop, and Greg Hughes. The band has been playing consistent live shows in the Triangle for a year and gets a real boost later this summer when its summer lineup leads all the way to a September slot at Hopscotch.
Long Relief cites the Weakerthans, Superchunk, and classic 80s/90s college rock as influences, and they shine through on the forthcoming No Growth EP which was tracked at the tail end of 2022 at The Sandwich Shoppe and releases on June 9.
Listen to “No Growth” below.
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