The Fleeting Ends’ unforgiving rock anthem “20 Something” basks in the good, the bad, and everything in-between during the transition into adulthood.
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They can be the time of our lives, the roudiest, craziest, most erratic, uncertain, life-changing, and altogether amazing years of our lives: The 20-Somethings, a decade full of more ups and downs, transitions and path-defining decisions than perhaps any other decade in our lives. An unforgiving homage to our 20s, The Fleeting Ends’ anthemic new song “20 Something” basks in the good, the bad, and everything in-between during the once-in-a-lifetime transition into adulthood.
It wasn’t very long ago, out of sight
/of mind was my take on time
Comes the speed of light
Less than, oh, ten years ago
I had my very own guaranteed overnight girl
That’s the speed I drive
Now I’m working on the minimum wage,
Running into you every day
And you just wanna know
what the world can do for you
Listen: “20 Something” – The Fleeting Ends
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/381196436?secret_token=s-VEbja” params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /]Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “20 Something,” the lead single off The Fleeting Ends’ forthcoming album, I Know You Lie Cos So Do I (out February 16, 2018). A tight, driving rock single with an infectious, sing-along chorus that will inevitably get stuck in your head, “20 Something” is the sort of re-introduction most bands only dream of. Reclaiming the name after the original lineup split in 2014, Philadelphia-based band The Fleeting Ends are frontman/guitarist/songwriter Matt Vantine and singer/songwriters Michael Kahana and Anthony DeSalvatore Jr.
Consider this a fresh start and something of a debut single for The Fleeting Ends: “20 Something” explodes into existence with remarkable charisma and feverish excitement, begging each of us to dwell in that special decade – whether it’s past, present, or future:
Do you trust my love?
Yes, I’m getting older
Do you feel sown up inside?
I feel a bit strange
And you’re in a rush?
Drive a little faster
Do you trust my love?
Shoot the driving rain
Twenty something feels like
nothing ever feels right
Twenty something feels like
nothing ever feels right
“As far as the decade known as our 20’s goes, there are endless opinions of what it not only entails, but [also] what it MEANS to be anywhere between the ages of 20 and 29,” relates band leader Matt Vantine. “Most factually, it is a decade-long transition into adulthood… Though most 20 somethings will tell you that the crippling debt awarded to you after college graduation simply does not promote responsible, adult behavior. Alcohol induced nights – which inevitably lead to the kinds of things that regrets are made of – ensue. However, this song is about my personal experience with the 8 years I’ve spent as a 20 Something.”
Vantine continues: “Truthfully, it’s been a wild ride. Though, not the kind of wild ride that you rave about and line back up for. It’s been the kind of wild ride that most don’t walk away from at all. And though the lyrics clearly tell the story of a man who is dumbstruck by the negative changes occurring seemingly out of nowhere in his life, I admittedly was at fault for the problems I was experiencing while writing this song. The verses are all nostalgic of a time when depression/mental illness were nothing more to me than the subject matter of a lecture in ‘Psychology 101,’ and as far as I was concerned, I just wasn’t the type of person to ever dabble in depression, fall into addiction, or ever have any kind of existential despair. Well, the me that wrote this song was longing for a time when he was able to stay out of bed, stay out of trouble with the law, stay clean and sober, stay away from psychiatric wards and rehabs, and perhaps most importantly stay the hell out of his own way. We all learn in different ways, and I learn the hard way. Though the person who wrote this was going through it, the person singing it these days is quite happy in his skin, but that’s not to say that 20 Something feels right. The chorus still rings true.”
You might not expect such darkness from the happy-sounding “20 Something,” but as always, the devil’s in the details – a closer look at the lyrics, and even Vantine’s expressions, reveal the hardship that made him who he is today.
The speed of light took it all away
from me with no warning in sight
No warning signs
Now I’m working on the minimum wage,
Living in the USA,
And you just wanna know what the world can do
Don’t you?
Still, like “Glory Days” and so many others, “20 Something” reminds us that you can celebrate the bad and the good together in big, spirited choruses overflowing with warmth and echoing with a deeper embrace of life. The Fleeting Ends may be just beginning (again), but their single is strong enough to land them a space on our artist to watch list: Stay tuned for more from this promising Philly act as they gear up to release their full-length, I Know You Lie Cos So Do I, in one months’ time (February 16, 2018).
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