There are few certainties in life save for two truths: You will experience immense joy, and you will go through incredible turmoil. Often these facts buttress each other, making the bad seem so much worse and the good that much better. It can be hard to trust in the brighter sides of things after experiencing something truly dark, however. That tough balance is what New York garage pop outfit Dolly Spartans try to cope with on their forthcoming EP, Time Sides With No One.
In 2015, the band lost their 22-year-old guitarist, Christopher Elmer, to a drug overdose. The shock was especially strong for Michael Eliran, who considered Elmer one of his closest friends. Instead of folding the band altogether, however, he chose to channel his emotions into Time Sides With No One. “A lot of the songs deal with the need to reconcile the past and present with the future,” Eliran reflects. “They’re about coming to terms with the idea that the passing of time can bring joy one day and pain the next.”
On the EP’s latest single, “Hanging Out”, Eliran talks about about how even a pleasant night with friends can turn sour when there’s an emotional storm brewing inside your head. “Me, I’m just hanging out/ I’m watching you and all your friends/ And now I’m spacing out/ I try my hardest to pretend/ That I’m not freaking out/ When everything don’t go my way,” he sings on the first verse. As if a reflection of the lyrics’ struggle, dreamy and pleasant guitars give way to a thrashing chorus as the music takes you deeper into Eliran’s chaotic mind. Take a listen below.
Time Sides With No One is out March 31st via Blue and Lucky.
Time Sides With No One EP Artwork:
Time Sides With No One Tracklist:
01. When The Wheels Stopped Moving
02. Hanging Out
03. I Hear The Dead
04. It’s Not Easy
05. Time Sides With No One
