“It comes out on Kurt Cobain?s death date, I think it?s something really good. I?m kind of obsessed with Kurt Cobain, it?s kind of unhealthy.”

~ Philip Dickey

By Rachel Nichols  |  Send to Friend

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin won’t make any promises they can’t keep. They will not blow your mind with a Sinatra-Juelz-Santana mash-up. They will not surprise you with experimental noises or startle you with their sound. What they can do is write a pop song and play it with such conviction, that it’s difficult for someone with a beating heart to pass it up.

Their debut album, Broom, released in 2005, blew up on the internet before you could say the band’s whole name. Almost by mistake, I called Philip Dickey, singer/songwriter of SSLYB. It was a brisk winter afternoon in Springfield, Missouri, the foursome’s hometown. I was greeted by a squeaky voice fighting against the wind. I was confused, I thought I was calling the band’s label, Polyvinyl, to inquire about their new album Pershing, due out April 8, 2008.

 

“Whom am I speaking to?” I asked.

“This is Philip, I play in a band," the voice said.

It took me a second, but I figured out exactly who it was. Philip was riding his bike through town, something I learned he and his bandmates regard very fondly. So there I was interviewing Philip on his bike and, despite my apologies, he insisted he was more than willing to chat about the new album.

“It comes out on Kurt Cobain’s death date, I think it’s something really good. I’m kind of obsessed with Kurt Cobain, it’s kind of unhealthy.” Cobain inspired the first hint of rebellion in Dickey who thinks “People over 30 don’t get it,” which he would be pleased to know is true about SSLYBY’s music, not surprising since Dickey is just 25 years of age.

“We write about what we know, all our friends know exactly who and what we’re talking about.” There’s a closeness about Someone Still Loves You that permeates through their music. The boys make the listener want to be part of their tight-knit crew. In fact, the band had their friend Philly-muralist David Guinn do the artwork for the cover. Pershing is not a sophomore album that tries to go above and beyond,

“The album was recorded at Will’s aunt and uncle’s house," Dickey said, as if I should have known Will, the band’s guitarist, for years.

“Where Broom is an album you would most likely listen to alone in your room, we wanted to make Pershing something you ride your bike to.”

After talking to Phillip, it was clear that in their lives and music, these guys wear their hearts on their sleeves. Dickey spoke with enthusiasm about the new album especially the song “Glue Girls.”

“I’m kind of dating this girl right now, but, before that, I was dating her friend, it’s about going from one to another, maybe I shouldn’t tell you about that," he demured.

I have high hopes for SSLYBY, maybe it’s their simple satisfying tunes, their tell-all naivety or humble appreciation for press. I can only expect that Pershing will maintain a palatable rock feel with a few surprising treasures.

Rachel Nichols is the music intern. She likes booty-shaking and the Spanish language.