Present Company Face Disillusionment on “It’s Not Looking Good”

Out today, Present Company have debuted a new track as a follow up to their full-length Talking On Couches (review here). The track is nostalgic, with a commercial flavor of post punk. It’s hard not to draw comparisons to a similarly-named, similar-sounding, AND similar looking group from this side of the state line name The Present Age (see what I mean here).

In terms of the song itself, it’s groovy-heavy and carries a fair bit of grit. Synth is sprinkled in ornamentally over reverb-laden guitars. Christian Nelson’s vocals are passionate and intense; his stage presence in the track’s video is frenetic. He’s joined by the talents of Eddie Chisham (guitar, synth), Seth Lemmon (bass), and Berin Joseph (drums). At one point, drums carry the song while a dry vocal refrain from the whole band takes center stage: “There was a time, was a time, was a simpler time. Then we grew up. We exposed the original.” Pair this with other lyrical reflections of the past and it’s clear the band is wrestling with disillusionment here – but the mood feels triumphant rather than fatalist. The past was exposed.

Ultimately, this is a fun track you’ll want to bump in your car when it’s not 30 below outside. Follow Present Company on Facebook and Instagram.