Philly power pop band Hurry‘s new LP Don’t Look Back is out today via Lame-O Records. It’s their sixth full-length, and to celebrate its release, band leader Matt Scottoline has given us a breakdown of every track, from its lyrical themes to its musical influences, including Teenage Fanclub (whose song “Don’t Look Back” is the album’s namesake), Nada Surf, The La’s, Big Star, Oasis, The Beach Boys, Guided by Voices, Gin Blossoms, Weezer, The Lemonheads, and more. Read our review of Don’t Look Back in Notable Releases, and read Matt’s track-by-track breakdown below.
“Didn’t Have To Try”
The album starts with the lyric “and we’re back at the beginning,” which, while admittedly a little playful, is also a strong mission statement for a lot of the album. At its core, this song is about the whiplash of feeling so hopeless about ever finding love again, to suddenly and effortlessly falling for someone. Seeing that path ahead, and making the choice to walk down it, even if it’s absolutely terrifying.
Inspiration:
The way Nada Surf can move from quiet to loud to quiet in a way that feels powerful but considered.
“Our Prayer” by the Beach Boys. Brian Wilson has always been my favorite songwriter, and I’ve always wanted to find a place to experiment with his signature style of harmony. Layering it with a wild guitar solo was my way to put my own mark on it.
“Like I Loved You”
This song is about the feeling that comes with falling in love with someone, and how when it’s right, it can feel a little out of time — like you’ve always known them.
Inspiration:
Guided By Voices “Surgical Focus” — especially in the driving hi-hats through the whole song. Lyrically the use of the sun and light is a bit of a nod to themes that Gerry Love from Teenage Fanclub hits on quite often. I’ve always found that quite beautiful.
“Beggin’ For You”
This song is more or less what I want every power poppy love song to sound like. My own wish fulfillment. I am the genie. It’s about finding the person you didn’t know you’d been looking for, and how overwhelming, exciting, and gut wrenching that can be.
Inspiration:
The La’s.
In the summer of 2022, as I was writing the record, I couldn’t get enough of the album Melbourne, Florida by Dick Diver, an incredible band from Australia. I would often spend my afternoons walking to Penn Treaty Park in Philadelphia, laying in the grass by the Delaware River, and listening to that album with my eyes closed. There’s one song in particular, “Leftovers,” where these horns swell softly through the song, and it’s just so beautiful. I wanted to try and bring a bit of that to this record (and this touchpoint will come up in later tracks too).
“Parallel Haunting”
After a pandemic release of our last album, and then immediately going through the ending of an 11-year long romantic relationship, I experienced a pretty dormant songwriting period. Then one day, a few weeks removed from that breakup, I was sitting around in my empty house, and wrote the lyrics to this one. The song is less about a feeling of loss, but more-so the strange sensation of a specter of the past roaming around you, and wondering if maybe you’re roaming around their space somewhere too. Maybe there’s some comfort to be found in that idea.
Inspiration:
Pedro The Lion’s “It’s Hard To Find A Friend”
A bit more of that Dick Diver influence here with the horn swells. I think Ben and Logan gave a really beautiful performance here. I find the sound of the trumpet and trombone in the chorus quite moving.
Definitely some Evan Dando arrangement and style: heavy on
acoustic guitar strumming, simple chord progression, wistful vocal delivery.
“Something More”
Sometimes it’s only after the fact that we can see our own weaknesses, and the way we don’t show up for ourselves. The way that we can dig our heels in, and comfort ourselves with a notion of the way we think “love” can wash over every little thing. But it can’t! And you can waste a lot of your life thinking that way. This is a song about learning to see all of that. Also, that guitar solo Justin ripped… chefs kiss
Inspiration:
Teenage Fanclub’s use of guitar octaves, especially on the record “Songs From Northern Britain”
Pop punk?? There is some palm muting after all.
“Little Brain”
Okay, yeah, it’s a pretty explicit breakup song. It actually gives me a little bit of anxiety to listen back to. It’s really vulnerable in a way I don’t think I’ve been before in my songwriting. Really though, this song is less about the act of breaking up, and more about how often the fear of breaking up is a lot worse than the actual result. And as you get distance, you start to see all the ways you rationalized with yourself and tried to maintain when it was ultimately a flawed strategy. Side note: when the band drops in and Justin plays that little solo — that’s my favorite moment on the album. It was improvised by Justin on the final day of tracking, when it was just me and him in the studio. I felt like that part needed a guitar lead, and he SMASHED it. I could listen to it on a loop for an entire day.
Inspiration:
Oasis, elements of “Talk Tonight,” “Don’t Look Back In Anger,” and “Champagne Supernova” all coalescing.
Gin Blossoms “As Long As It Matters”
“No Patience”
Just a little power pop song about having a crush and acting like a lunatic. This song felt a little out of character for me from a stylistic perspective. After demo-ing it, I almost cut it from the record — but I’m glad I didn’t. It rocks.
Inspiration:
Sneaky Feelings, one of my favorite Flying Nun bands.
Weezer — specifically “The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived” from the Red Album. Yeah, I said it.
“Around My Heart”
This is one of my personal favorite songs on the album. I really wanted to capture a wistful, breezy feeling of a first date in the summer time, and subsequently how painful having a crush can actually be. Maybe my first country song? Is that fair to say?
Inspiration:
Definitely took more inspiration from Evan Dando, especially when his songwriting edges into country.
Tom Petty
I feel a bit of contemporary Wilco in the way the guitar solo shook out.
“For Us To Find Love”
This is a meditation on learning to make yourself vulnerable again, and accepting all of the risks that come along with opening yourself to love — a concept that took me a while to wrap my mind around, and still scares me to this day. Ultimately though, it’s a hopeful song. It’s about having an awareness of the risks, and knowing that they’re all totally worth it.
Inspiration:
Big Star
Yo La Tengo
A little “November Rain” in the solo
“The Punchline”
“The Punchline” is kind of the album’s moment of triumph and resolution — no coincidence it’s the last song, I guess. It’s not only a resolution to leave the past behind, but a reminder to bring all of the accumulated knowledge and perspective with you into the future. We all engage with the
illusion of control to some degree — but in the end, we never know what’s ahead, and that’s something to be embraced.
Inspiration:
I sent this song to Mo Troper when it was done, and he immediately called out The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, which did not cross my mind once, but I totally see now. I love all the jangle and speed of those old Slumberland bands.
Honestly, this song reminds me of vintage Hurry — kind of a throwback to how I used to write songs, but with a bit more know-how now. Which kinda fits the theme of it all too. I love a good fake-out ending. And I felt like with a song called “The Punchline,” it only made sense to have a little fun with it.
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Hurry will play a few shows in the coming weeks, including a NYC show on September 29 at Purgatory in Brooklyn. All dates:
Hurry — 2023 Tour Dates
8/11 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
9/29 Brooklyn, NY @ Purgatory
9/30 Washington, DC @ Quarry House Tavern
