Offended By Everything – Evergreen (2019)
On January 4th, the Dallas pop-punk band Offended By Everything (ObE) released their sophomore EP entitled Evergreen. The band is made up of Jarrett Adlof (guitar), Andrew Zempke (bass), Josh Daniel (drums) and Zak Howe (vocals). While most of their music lies between pop-punk and hardcore punk, there is also a bit of acoustic to balance it out.
Recently, The Other Side Reviews spoke with guitarist Jarrett
I truly love all the songs. My personal favourite is ‘You Call It Normal, I Call It Monotony’. It offers a little bit of everything. However, ‘Deadweight’ has had the most response live with our fans, so that’s been super exciting considering it’s a little heavier than we normally are.
Jarrett Adlof
Musically I wanted to write catchy music that sounds right. I know branching out is important, but I wanted to have repeatability with every song.
To check out the rest of the interview click here
The overall tone of Evergreen is slightly heavier than ObE’s previous EP Never Too Late To Start Again, however, not by much. The song ‘Deadweight’ is definitely more of a hardcore punk song than the rest of the album.
The track ‘Evergreen’ is similar to the previous track ‘The Golden Years’. Both tracks have a light acoustic tone. While these songs are on a more sombre note, they are still able to project a strong message about different feelings in a relationship, be it past or present.
‘The Golden Years’ is about looking back on a past relationship where someone loved you so much and helped you believe in yourself despite all your flaws. You feel like maybe you took the other person for granted and got more out of the relationship than they did.
I feel that ‘Evergreen’ is about trying to tell someone how much you love them and that you want them to stay. While you say stupid things without thinking and have insecurities, you want them to be in your life. The evergreen represents longevity, virtue and solitude, as well as the continuously renewal/self-renewal. You’re hoping that someone will renew or continue to stay with you despite your flaws. The song comes across as a realization,
Personally, I think that ‘Evergreen’ is the more expanded upon version of ‘The Golden Years’. There are more specific details of the things one may take advantage of in a relationship. Having someone always forgive you for saying dumb things, having your insecurities accepted, and someone to hold you or be there for you when you need them.
Meanwhile ‘Deadweight’ reminds me of their previously released single ‘Best Intentions’. Both songs are the opposite of ‘Evergreen’ and ’22’ as they have a heavier hardcore pop-punk sound to them. They’re not quite the same, but there is a slight overlap between the two when it comes to the gruffness of the guitars and screaming of lyrics.
I absolutely love Evergreen. I have been waiting for this album since the release of their single ‘I’m Gone’ back in August of last year, and it was well worth the wait. After listening to the album the first time, the only thing I could think was: damn! I didn’t think they would be able to make my mouth drop (literally) the way that it did. My favourite thing is that they were able to take it up a notch on this EP without straying from their first album. Some of the music is heavier, but it’s clear that they evolved. I cannot wait to see what they come out with next as I know it will be amazing.
I highly recommend listening to Offended By Everything. They are one of my favourite bands and musical discoveries. Their music is inspired by bands such as Waterparks, Shorelines, You vs Yesterday, Calling All Captains, Mascots, and You Know The Drill. I always a suggest ObE when asked for band recommendations.
In addition to Evergreen, Offended By Everything also has an EP entitled Never Too Late To Start Again, as well as their two singles ’22’ and ‘Best Intentions’. All releases are now available for streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.
