Of Wandering, the debut album from Philly band Littler, is about growing up. It's about not knowing what the hell you're gonna do with your life. It's a major freakout in the form of a really impressive first record.
It starts out with "Knife Sucker," an angst-ridden ripper that sets the tone for the rest of the album—The list gets longer everyday/ Lost ideas, things I know I should do but keep at bay/ When will I grow up?, the song begins, with singer Madeline Meyer's solo vocals raging with frustration with herself. No one is around to see me shut my eyes, hold my ears, and tune everything out/ And I still suck on knives/ And I still suck at my life. That's the thing about trying to become a grownup: it's confusing as hell.
"Of Wandering is very much about growing up and the different struggles people go through to figure it all out, whether this means finding a serious job or just learning to understand yourself, what you can offer, how to be a good partner or friend or family member," Meyer wrote to The FADER over email. "These are things that everyone goes through but when you're a twenty-something, you're going through it without a real support structure. You may be in a new town, struggling to find a job, surrounded by people you don't really know, and the things that used to feel relatively straightforward are now a constant question. You're being asked to sell yourself in a time when you are still figuring yourself out."
On the title track, Meyer sings, No one told me the other side of wandering is getting swept up into the tide, and on "Tectonics," she confesses, I wanna be good at a lot of things, but I don't know how to go about that. Same. Who do I want to be? What does success mean to me? Why is everything in my life constantly shifting like tectonic plates under my feet? These are the questions that swirl rapidly in every twenty-something's head—you're trying so hard not to feel young, alone, and lost. Littler's Of Wandering might not help you find your way, but it'll at least let you know you're not alone—especially when you're air-guitaring along.
Listen to Of Wandering below and pre-order it from Birdtapes here, ahead of its March 25 release.
Tour Dates:
3/24 - Philadelphia, PA - Goldilocks Gallery - Record Release with Giant Peach, Marge, and Slow Animal
3/25 - Providence, RI - Wavecloud - with The Money Bags, Secret Circle, and Slow Animal
3/26 - Boston, MA - Club Bohemia - with Digital Prisoners of War, Potty Mouth, and Slow Animal
3/27 - Brooklyn, NY - The Silent Barn - with Gnarwhal, Sodium Beast, and Slow Animal