Search - The Wonder Years :: The Upsides

"The Upsides" is a record about hope. During the past year, The Wonder Years found themselves trudging through their early twenties alongside an army of downtrodden friends. It felt like sadness had become the status quo and that didn't sit well with the Philadelphia-based five piece. On a bike ride around the fountain at Logan Circle on the first day of spring, the idea struck that this constant state of defeat was no way to live and out of that, "The Upsides" was born. Instead of a writing format derived from the ideas of one member, The Wonder Years built a record out of opposing influences, colossal arguments and gallons of sweat. The band all moved into a one-bedroom house in South Philly and spent a scorching month and a half locked in a 15 square-foot basement obsessing over every single part of every single song, refusing to move from the practice space until everyone was content. The result is 12 tracks of overly honest pop punk that resonates with the band's past influences like Motion City Soundtrack, Saves the Day and The Starting Line, but also speaks to new influences like Latterman and Thursday. In writing "The Upsides," The Wonder Years have created a soundtrack for the hopeful. Throughout the LP, the band continually sings, "I'm not sad anymore" in the hopes that everyone still feeling the weight of the past year can soon sing along.