Stay in, sit down, and turn up the stereo

Stripped-down, sincere, stirring—Never You Mind is an excellent record for a rainy afternoon. Crooning vocals and steady guitar strumming dominate this debut solo effort by the Get Up Kids frontman Matthew Pryor, but simple drums and looping pianos also sneak into the mix, complementing the simple, yet engaging musical framework. Introspective and moody, Never You Mind could be the perfect soundtrack for homebound days: its swirling melodies and honest lyrics lull you into a gentle sleep, bringing hazy memories bubbling to the surface.

Despite its sleepy quality, Never You Mind is not background music. Pryor experiments with different styles as he mixes emo, indie rock, and even a dash of country into songs such as "Make Me Change My Mind" and "Idaho." Despite its stylistic diversity, the music relies primarily on mood to capture the listener, and Pryor's emotive singing takes center stage. The opening track, "Every Double Life," introduces the subdued vocal-guitar foundation of the album. In the first verse, Pryor presents his case: "When I listen to my own advice/It can be so overwhelming/There are strings in every double life/But you won't hear me complain." This theme of duality pervades the record as Pryor bounces between regretful doubt and determined resolve, rejection and acceptance, homecoming and departure.

While the moods do change, the lyrical content does not stray far from standard Get Up Kids fare of betrayal, loneliness, and long-distance love. The line "Distance doesn't finalize defeat" from "I Won't Run Away," even echoes the lyric "Distance will define us" from the Kids' "Central Standard Time," The mid-tempo standout, "Never Treat Others," brings to mind the Kids' penchant for catchy choruses. Both oddly comforting and sadly nostalgic, the "Lonely Hearts" chorus is a lush lullaby for the mature, romantic indie rocker as Pryor's softly sung words and light guitar parts fuse beautifully, spinning a textured web of emotion and sound.

The New Amsterdams are not the first to join the club of promising side projects sprung from well-established bands that straddle the blurred indie-emo line. Pryor's work under his New Amsterdams moniker resembles 1999's Living Together, the underpublicized release by Promise Ring frontman Davey von Bohlen's other musical outfit Vermont. Both the New Amsterdams and Vermont offer an alternative from the guitar-laden, up-tempo efforts of Pryor and von Bohlen's main bands. Never You Mind, like Living Together, utilizes gentler sounds and simpler lyrics to focus on mood and bring the interplay between lyrics and sound to the forefront. While the layered onslaught of the Kids and the cohesion of the Promise Ring continue to define the current stream of the indie rock/emo genre, emerging side projects like the New Amsterdams and Vermont fill a quieter, more personal niche.

Though the absence of a forceful backing band occasionally underscores the slightly off-center whine in the vocals, as a whole, Never You Mind showcases Pryor's growing ability as a songwriter. And as the Get Up Kids teeter on the verge of the mainstream breakthrough (they're scheduled to open some dates on Green Day's January tour), it is reassuring to find that Pryor still favors basic arrangements and minimalist production, and still places his music first. Never You Mind makes one hope he will continue this double life. (Vagrant/Heroes and Villains)

—Julia Kripke

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