Peak into the millennial’s sullen psyche with So Totally’s new EP, a cheap close-up of heaven

To every beer-drinking millennial spending their nights in a South Philly basement: this ones for you. Local four-piece So Totally released their debut EP a cheap close-up of heaven late last week, taking noise rock’s wall of sound and mashing it with the emo-riddled slow indie rock jams found in the alleyways of this fair city.

In a Pity Sex-less world, great catchy noise rock is becoming harder and harder to make, recently calming down into the reverb-lacing of shoegaze. So Totally perfectly balances the two genres, using opening track “i can’t wait” as a two-minute slow-release balloon of anxiety surrounded by an almost Teen Suicide level of atmospheric backing. This explodes in the follow-up “lead & alchemy,” where lyrics contemplate who’s meant for love and who’s meant for hate, extending into the disgusted feel of “rare form,” as the band calls out a certain person for their dwindling personality (“You don’t smile/Warm some thoughts before they leave your mouth”).

“late gloomer” feels a bit like a basement scene Norah Jones, as a tight and groovy track adds crunch to chill acoustic pop, lyrically driven by narcissism. This is further exemplified in “easy leave,” which breaks apart so-called support of friends, and the scramble to retain friendships with people who can’t (and won’t) help you (“I tried to tie it off at the end but it grows at a rate that’s too quick to beat / There is no easy leave”). The band calmly closes off themselves to the world with “zoetrope,” backing out of the room with a final cry of help (“Can’t you see the blood on my teeth when you’re near me?”).

Overall, this collection of cathartic songs boils down to the masking of depression and anxiety, fearful of the future pertaining to love and life. Growing up can sometimes feel like the swirling noise of time escaping, and So Totally does their best to capture, both lyrically and musically, this hectic world where kids get higher, and lives are lowered to a story of “hey, whatever.”