This generation has a peculiar relationship to earnest and genuine seriousness. We add "but I could be wrong" after we offer advice or guidance; we add "LOL" to the end of almost everything as a way to keep things light, to keep things ironic, to keep things from getting too real. PWR BTTM's latest song off of their forthcoming sophomore LP, Pageant, subverts that generational tick.
Though the song is called "LOL," PWR BTTM aren't laughing. Ben Hopkins reflects on where they are and where they thought they'd be, how they interact with the world and vice versa. Hopkins sings of knowing they're wrong, naive, and perceived. "When you are queer, you are always 19," they say. It's a startling observation, one that rings true for many because feelings of otherness don't simply go away when you're out of your teens, especially when you identify as queer. There's the LOL of the situation. What else can you say to the feeling that no one sees you how you see yourself? LOL, LOL, LOL all the way home.
PWR BTTM's Pageant drops May 12 via Polyvinyl.
