The late aughts were a time of reveling in self pity, doubt, and/or hatred. But one band was vulnerable enough to stand up and say, hey, maybe we can get ourselves out of this mess. This band was The Wonder Years, and the album that changed it all was The Upsides.

This record came out when we seemed to need it the most. We were just started college, getting our first taste of homesickness, and were just starting to seriously doubt our choices and the integrity of the futures we were starting to build for ourselves. It’s easy when you’re too close tp the subject to not see beyond the depression and the failures, but frontman and lyricist Dan Campbell encourages us to find the small moments that make life worth living through this autobiographical war-cry of a masterpiece.

Pat and Tom look back to how hard this record hit when it first came out, and how the feelings associated with this record and what it stood for back in 2010 has changed over time. It turns out this is the kind of record that can grow with you, and looking back doesn’t seem so painful because these songs were there for us when nothing else was.

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Links:

The Upsides on Apple Music

The Upsides on Spotify

Tom in The Upsides Flannel

Dynamite Shovel Campfire Version by The Wonder Years

Living Room Song by The Wonder Years

My New Haircut

I Don’t Need to Pump My Fists to Look Sweet Shirt (Tom’s Old Band!)

Songs of the week:

All Too Well (Taylor Swift Cover) by Dan Campbell

I’d Rather Lose by Mandy Moore