Today's Song: Pet Symmetry Get "Simply Irresponsible" on 'Future Suits'

Emo supergroup Pet Symmetry speak and play freely throughout “Simply Irresponsible” off their album ‘Future Suits.’

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Listen: “Simply Irresponsible” – Pet Symmetry

Being amongst friends, you’re often allowed to say more than you might normally say, or perhaps be a little more honest about your feelings. Composed of three of emo and punk’s best songwriters, Pet Symmetry has always been better than your typical supergroup. Besides writing insanely catchy songs, the band usually embraces a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, where they’re able to say just about anything freely, which is where we get the upbeat, yet scalding Future Suits opener “Simply Irresponsible.”

Composed of Evan Weiss (Into It. Over It.), Erik Czaja (Dowsing), and Marcus Nuccio (Ratboys), it’s unsurprising that the band’s third full-length LP is packed with barn-burners that shred just as much as they make you want to sing along. Throughout the record, there are instantly quotable lines over intricate, yet crisp and clean riffs. Even though the most memorable moments throughout Future Suits make you want to jump up and down in a packed room, there are moments of experimentation throughout that keep listeners on their toes, whether it’s the lounge-act inspired interludes of a song like “Pet Sympathy” or the chanting trances of “Debt Symmetry.” (Yes, many of these song titles are puns).

When it comes to the records’ lyrics, there are clear references not only to the COVID-19 pandemic (“We wait on our couches for further news… while we wait in pajamas” in “2021: A Personal Space Odyssey”), there are references to macro-issues that will be stuck with us well-after we’re out of the pandemic. For example, “They’ve put my money where their mouth is/Taken away lunches/Vibes are off” in “Pet Synergy.” It’s a scalding take on the mismanagement of money, taking away from those in need and allocating resources to places with whack vibes, for lack of a better term.

This all comes to “Simply Irresponsible,” the album’s first song does a great job of establishing the types of melodic sensibilities that make saying the quiet part loud all the better. Unlike some of the other songs mentioned here, the politics of the album opener are very small. They can be metaphoric for some of the larger societal issues (There are plenty of politicians who talk like “someone who’s never had their ass kicked”), but at the surface level, it can be read as either petty annoyances or scathing remarks at holier-than-thou punks (a lá Jawbreaker’s “Boxcar”).

Setting tables, set for where your last impression sits
You’re talking like someone who’s never had their ass kicked
It takes a confident man to spot a confident plan
A game of chicken for the rest of us still kicking the can
But there’s no peace if we can’t figure out where the pieces fit

The matter-of-fact delivery is almost reminiscent of Modern Baseball’s “Going To Bed Now,” where the kiss-off was delivered with as much of a catchy nature as a pop song’s chorus.

When you’re in close company, it’s much easier to speak truth-to-power. It’s even easier to get a universal truth across when you’re telling it with a bit of a smirk. While there are incredibly powerful messages throughout Pet Symmetry’s third record, they’re often told with a bit of sugar to help the medicine go down. That sugar might be an interactive 8-bit game found via a QR code for an album cover (for real, scan it), or a space-age suit, but it helps the hard truths come in.

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