Equipment – “LO/FO” & “Username”

Equipment – “LO/FO” & “Username”

Equipment are a young emo band from Toledo who truly seem to have it. The hooks, the riffs, the dynamics, the charming and memorable turns of phrase — if it makes for a compelling and accessible emo track, this band has mastered it already. They’ll release their new album Alt.Account in about a month through their own Klepto Phase label, and today they’ve shared two great tunes to get us properly stoked.

“LO/FO,” positioned as the A-side of the pair, arrives with a video directed by singer-guitarist Nick Zander and his bandmates. The music reminds me of Weezer, Jeff Rosenstock, and the All American Rejects, matching classic pop songcraft with a bit of heavy metal guitar heroics and a savvy modern refrain targeting internet jerks: “How often do you disinfect your phone? When you talk talk talk your shit all the way from home?” The B-side, “Username,” was released to fans earlier this week as part of a digital scavenger hunt, and it chronicles a more romantic kind of relational distress playing out in cyberspace. After a torrent of twinkly guitars and “Lucky Denver Mint”-esque drum bombardment, Zander peppers us with howl-along lyrics like “I will self-destruct online!” His band, though, really holds it together.

Hear both songs below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Hot, Young Doctors”
02 “LO/FO”
03 “Hollister Henleys”
04 “Bad Bets”
05 “Jewelry”
06 “Minnow”
07 “Username”
08 “Your Clothes Without You In Them”
09 “Perfect Temperature Coffee”

Alt.Account is out 9/29 on Klepto Phase.

more from New Music