This isn’t the first time that I’ve talked about New Jersey emo/pop-punk band Regrown on this blog (they're on our April playlist and our upcoming May one), and it certainly won’t be the last time. Watching them grow from local east coast favorites to a legitimate powerhouse in their genre has been awesome, and their latest single “Deep End” has only furthered that process.
Released on Friday, May 21st, “Deep End” is the third and final single dropped by the band in preparation for their debut EP titled “Closed Casket Material.” The first two tracks, “Closed Casket Material” and “Cuffed” have seen huge success thus far, amassing over 19,000 and 11,000 streams on Spotify alone, respectively.
It isn’t hard to see why people connect so heavily with Regrown’s music. The always profound, always relatable lyrics are brought to life by vocalist and guitarist Ben Greenblatt’s passionate vocal delivery, and their sound is easy to jam to, reminiscent of pop-punk bands old and new, from Neck Deep to Four Year Strong.
“Deep End” is super interesting in particular because of the song’s structure. Opening with isolated percussion that is quickly joined by ultra-catchy guitar riffs, this track gets you hooked immediately.
When the vocals kick in around the 40-second mark, Greenblatt grabs your attention even more, with the lines, “I’m losing control of myself / And I’m not sure how to ask for help.” Regrown’s lyrical content is known to center around mental health, and while this track is no different, it carries more of a hopeful tone than its predecessors.
The chorus of “This is a song you'll play for your friends / They'll say I went off the deep end / And I know we fell off track / But I can't leave the past in the past / But you're twisting and pulling my arm into different directions / And I think I hate it / Don't wanna live like this anymore” makes the song’s subject matter clear; the narrator is done dealing with whatever it is that’s dragging them down, whether it’s a person, a place, or something that’s happened. They’re not afraid of being judged or looked down upon, because they know that they need to improve themselves for themselves, not for anyone else.
There’s a break in the vocals about halfway through the track, where guitars are only accompanied by the soft-spoken line of “We’re getting much better.” When the vocals kick back in, the song’s message is driven home even further with the lyrics “Maybe this year I'll focus on myself / I think it's time to admit / I think I need help.”
The song finishes with the repeated line “We’re getting much better every day”, cementing “Deep End” as the emo scene’s new anthem about learning to accept help regardless of what others may say or think about it or you. When asked about the track via New Noise Magazine, Greenblatt explained this to a greater extent; “This song is me accepting that I don’t need anyone else to acknowledge my progress in order for me to know I’m getting better. I feel I’ve finally got to a place where I believe in myself enough to carry my own weight and I’m proud that the band has been able to make it through a lot of bad situations to get where we are now.”
“Deep End”, along with Regrown’s previous two singles, “Cuffed” and “Closed Casket Material”, are available to stream wherever you get your music. Their debut EP, “Closed Casket Material”, is due out on June 18th and can be pre-ordered on vinyl or CD along with new merch via the band’s MerchNow site.
To be among the EP’s first listeners, be sure to follow Regrown on Facebook @RegrownNJ, Twitter @RegrownNJ, TikTok @RegrownNJ, and Instagram @RegrownNJ. If you’re as excited about “Closed Casket Material” as I am, tweet me @JENSESSlON! You can follow the blog on Twitter @StrawbSkiesBlog, Instagram @StrawberrySkiesBlog, and Facebook @StrawberrySkiesBlog to make sure you don’t miss my full review of the EP on release day.
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