Shelf Life | Photo by Ethan Holland | courtesy of the artist
PREMIERE: Listen to Shelf Life’s nostalgia-laden “Double Dare”
Back in the spring, Scotty Leitch rolled out the first track from his band Shelf Life, titled “The Curse.” The song (listen here) saw the longtime Philly scene dude – who most notably played in emo-punk outfit Pirouette in the late aughties – delivering an alluring blend of bristly psychedelic electronics and jangling acoustic pop, while lyrically confronting the death of a loved one.
His record as a whole comes from equally heavy places; following a car accident last year, the lower portion of Leitch’s right leg was crushed. While recuperating, he bought a computer and recording software, and began writing the songs that would become Everyone Make Happy. Today, we bring you the premiere of another track from it: the nostalgia-laden “Double Dare,” which sets youthful meetings at the mall (“Tell your dad not to drop you out front / wear something black or we’ll lose you on purpose”) to evocative and melancholic instrumentation; a slowly swaying beat, a chiming keyboard lead, and rhythmic guitar strums.
“I loved making this record,” says Leitch. “I’ve got a lot of love to spread and I just want the world to hear it.”
Everyone Make Happy is out on September 18th on Lefse Records – which has also released music by A Sunny Day in Glasgow and Youth Lagoon. It’s available for pre-order here. Leitch and Shelf Life celebrate that night with a concert at Lavender Town; more information can be found here. Listen to “Double Dare” below.