Had Sandy channel second-wave emo on new single I Hate My Parents And I Wanna Learn How To Swim
Had Sandy have released their new single, I Hate My Parents And I Wanna Learn How To Swim, via Sugar-Free Records.
The Brighton four-piece lean into frayed nerves, teenage awkwardness and melodic urgency on the track, which draws from the emotionally charged strain of second-wave emo associated with Sunny Day Real Estate, Texas Is The Reason and Mineral. There are also traces of the punchier, later influences that have fed into the band’s sound, including Citizen, Title Fight and Drug Church.
Vocalist and guitarist Jude Allenby says the title is deliberately separate from the song’s lyrical heart, despite capturing the kind of adolescent confusion that runs through it.
“The title actually means something entirely different to the lyrical content of the song, but accurately paints a nostalgic picture of teen angst and the innocence of a misunderstood kid,” Allenby says. “However, the lyrics sit somewhere between smoking cigarettes to try fit in, and frustration with contrasting feelings in a relationship – all in all, the essence of being a teenager – and the song tells this musical story.
“I love the idea that someone’s nostalgia can be someone else’s present fixation. We’ve had a few people saying that our songs ‘make them feel 16 again’, and that’s what this song is meant for.”
A song built from a drumbeat
According to Allenby, I Hate My Parents And I Wanna Learn How To Swim was among the earliest songs written for the project. It began when drummer Elliott Scambler invited him downstairs to work on an idea centred on a beat Scambler wanted to play.
“That was the only tool we went into the songwriting session with, and in 20 minutes it was done – it kind of just fell out of us,” Allenby recalls.
The title arrived later, courtesy of bassist Louis Tong during a drive to a show at Brighton’s Green Door Store. “I think he was taking the piss out of being a kid / stroppy teenager, and we immediately went, ‘Write that down!’” Allenby says. “To be honest, it’s how a lot of our song names come about.”
The single is a fully DIY production, with Allenby handling engineering, mixing and mastering. Aside from the drums, the recording was made in the basement flat shared by Allenby and keyboard player Natasha O’Flynn, who also produces most of the band’s artwork and merchandise designs.
Dates with Prom and Burn It Down Festival set
Had Sandy will take the song on the road this week for a short run of self-booked shows with Prom, alongside an appearance at Burn It Down Festival in Torquay.
- 02 September – Star & Garter, Manchester (with Prom)
- 03 September – Underground, Stoke-on-Trent (with Prom)
- 04 September – Burn It Down Festival, Torquay
- 06 September – Exchange Basement, Bristol (with Prom)
