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Tag: Folk

  • What’s Another Night? by Apes of the State

    What’s Another Night? by Apes of the State

    Album: What’s Another Night?

    Artist: Apes of the State

    Released: April 22, 2025; Self Release

    This is the third full length release by Apes of the State, fourth if you want to count the solo album no one really talks about. As a band I really enjoy their commitment to DIY music and the folk punk genre/community and also their general disdain for the government. If you are a fan of any of those things, you will be happy to know that all those things are found in spades on this release.

    Ever since Apes of the State went to a full electric touring band, the folk punk that lives in my heart has been a little bummed. However, all the other punks that live in my heart tell that little shit to stop whinging the moment the electric guitar piece hits midway through, “I’m Okay”. Its truly incredibly good and really illustrates the change was a good decision. The song is about dealing with the angst of growing up and realizing thing aren’t working out like you had planned and dealing with the desire to make things better. This is a recurring theme of the album as well. I struggle to say that this is the best song on the album because there are other solid bangers, but it is up at the top of the list.

    “Punk Rock Shows In Heaven” is my favorite song on the album, it is the classic, Apes of the State fans have come to know and love. Its got acoustic guitar, punchy drum beats and self reflective lyrics. Whats not to love? At face value, it’s a song about what it’s like in heaven but deep down I think it’s really about making life here and now more like what we imagine heaven to be. This hopeful sentiment is what keeps me coming back to Apes’ music.

    “Hot Summer Night’s Part 1 and Part 2” are cool songs Part 1 is a look at the nostalgia for youth with an ire of self judgment. Part 2 offers the same nostalgic look at the past but offers a more mature and developed take and the desire for simpler times and a reprieve from the responsibilities of adulthood. The two songs combined really feel like a coming of age story, because of the “character growth” between part 1 and 2 and the neat little, “where are they now?” retrospective that makes up the later half of part 2. It really delivers the vibes a later 80s earlier 90s movie in the vain of The Sandlot or Stand by Me. I guess that is what I think about when I get all nostalgic.

    What’s Another Night is a great addition to the Apes of the State Discography. It offers a few more glorious steps into a electrified musical direction while providing big payoffs for long time fans. I especially like the call backs to their album “Pipe Dream” found in the “Intro” track and “Round 2” which is a reprise of “Fight Song”. Bringing it back as if to say to everyone that the fight continues, and we ain’t getting through it without each other. That is, I think that over all message of Apes of the State music, and the thing that makes it meaningful to me. They aren’t afraid to point out that they’ve got problems, that we’ve got problems, and that society at large is a mess. More importantly though if we work together we can solve them.

    If you like the album I reviewed here and want to support the artist as well as this blog please consider picking up the album via this affiliate link—> Purchase What’s Another Night? By Apes of the State digitally via Amazon Music

  • Friends in Real Life by Friends in Real Life

    Friends in Real Life by Friends in Real Life

    Album: Friends in Real Life

    Artist: Friends in Real Life

    Released: February 21, 2025; Low Capacity Music

    Friends in Real Life, the Band is really a family affair featuring seemingly fresh out of retirement folk punk “legend” Patrick “Pat the Bunny” Schneeweis, Micheal Schneeweis is a huge player in the DIY music scene in his own right, and also features their father Charlie Schneeweis. The album Friends in Real Life is billed as junky pop/folk music and that description I think is a fair one. It provides the the same earnest-heartfelt vibes that fans of Pat would expect, but also a maturity in sound, production, and tone that is refreshing.

    The first track on the album is “You are the Ocean” and I feel that it really does a great job setting the tone for the entire album. It offers rather chill vibes and a smooth sound for essentially being about dealing with lose. The imagery provided by the lyrics, I feel, are rather beautiful. The first line is “I’ve been singing sad songs again” and than continues with a surfing metaphor that implies that eventually all that sadness and grief from the songs you’ve been singing can be dissolved in the ocean. The the song moves to a similar metaphor this time its skating and rage resentment and how you need to bury those things to properly move on. At the end to each metaphor there are notable lines. For the first line it’s: “You are the ocean, my friend” and the second line it’s: “I’ll be the dirt, my friend”. This further ties these two metaphors together in a way that says, you can’t get through this without friends and support. Last it poses the question, “How do we move on?” and answers it by the suggestion that we should try making things that pay homage to what and who we have lost. It is a great song crammed full of more symbolism and wisdom that has any right to exist in the confines of a minute and 20 second long song. AND that trumpet. I have always considered myself a horn dog so its not hard to buy my praise with a little brass but damn that trumpet picking up in the mid point of the song firmly separating the sorrowful first half and guiding you into the more hopeful conclusion, just hits. Purely inspired.

    “Advice” is perhaps my first real introduction to Micheal Schneeweis. I have had really great people suggest his work to me and for the most part I am ashamed to admit that other than briefly listening to a track or two of his older stuff I never got around to it. I really like the tongue and cheek delivery and message of this song. Changing yourself is indeed a struggle but it is never too late to start.

    “Retirement Plans” is absolutely my favorite track on the album. It’s talks about how life rarely works out the way people want and that sometimes the things you love sometimes aren’t actually good for you so it’s best to just let them go. I look at it like a autobiographical explanation of what, at least in part, brought Pat back out of retirement and also hopefully a mission statement for the rest of his music career. The drum machine and synth are definitely the stand out musical components in this song. The way the synth comes in through out the song as each verse ends as if you are punctuating each turn of happenstance as the story progresses. I like it. It’s neat. This is an aside to the record, but since Pat brings it up in this song, I will just say that I personally would love to just have a chat about computers and tech with Pat, but I’m that specific kind of weird little nerd so I will leave it at that.

    Friends in Real Life is a record myself, and I assume most fans of Pat, have hoped for, but certainly never expected to happen. Now that it has happened, I can honestly say I couldn’t be happier. I have always felt that the majority of Pat’s music was him struggling to force himself to be the type of person he really wanted to be. It is nice to see that this album is more about accepting yourself for who you are and life for how it is in the moment while striving for better. This is a very welcomed addition to Pat’s discography and for me at least a great introduction to Micheal as well. It is a must check out for any fans of the Schneeweises or people who just like folk inspired indie music with some synth bits thrown in for good fun.

    This Review was originally posted on July 04, 2025 on the former LFDH substack.

    If you like the album I reviewed here and want to support the artist as well as this blog please consider picking up the album via this affiliate link—> Purchase Friends in Real Life by Friends in Real Life digitally via Amazon Music