Emo has been a genre that has had bands come and go many building legacies amongst the community. Recently saturdays at your place released an EP titled Always Cloudy via No Sleep Records that puts them in that conversation.
saturdays at your place is an alternative emo group that hails from Kalamazoo, Michigan. They have been releasing music since 2021, when their debut album Something Worth Celebrating was released. The group would then release “Tarot Cards” on September 23, 2022 which quickly became their most popular release on Spotify. After that release they signed to No Sleep Records on December 19, 2022 and released the single “It’s Always Cloudy in Kalamazoo” off of their eventual EP Always Cloudy.
Always Cloudy dropped on January 20, 2023 as a six song EP. To call this an emo EP is an understatement. It features everything you could expect from the in a perfect culmination in each of the six tracks. From the beginning things start off very personable with the opening track “Future”, vocalist Mitch Gulish starts the song immediately with vocals and lyrics that sound confessional. It works as there is no chorus to this song so as the music crescendos the lyrics and the thoughts of the vocalists start to fade out. Things get upbeat musically on the next track “Fetch.” Drummer Gabe Wood to me shines brightest with how much fun you can tell he’s having really digging into the track. “Fetch” and “Tarot Cards” are my personal favorites on the EP when it comes to the drums.
Speaking about “Tarot Cards” it is easy to see why this one could be considered to be a favorite. As it is a boppy emo anthem with lyrics that almost every listener can relate to in experience. Lines like “her friends don’t like me, well I don’t like me too” and “Well will you stick around if I do? I think I found a part of me beside you” are lyrics that can be seen being screamed by any listener of the song in solidarity. On top of that the song is one that belongs in the car with the windows down on a nice day. “Hospital Bed” follows with a more mellow verse and chorus for a more mellow song compared to “Tarot Cards”. It works as a cool down which picks up slightly as it gets to the final chorus of the song.
While things might have mellowed before they pick back up with the ball rolling during “It’s Always Cloudy in Kalamazoo”. I know I mentioned the other two earlier as favorites for me drum wise but this song scratches every itch. It’s face, relatable, chantable, and just overall an insanely fun song on this album. It packs so much into itself without losing an identity or becoming too clustered. The ending of the song brings similar vibes to “Scott Pilgrim vs My GPA,” a song where in the end of it you want to just chant the lyrics with anyone near you. To close off this album is “Eat Me Alive” which culminates in a track that you can throw on when you’re sad but will feel better when it’s over as the lyrics “I am willing to get better, means your memories will fade” inciting signs of growth as a human.
One thing I enjoy is that there isn’t a dead period on this album as each song has its own air to breathe even though it remains a collective. There is a track that could fit any mood someone is going through with personal lyrics to go behind it. saturdays at your place crafted an emo record that can easily be the top one released this year. It is heartwarming, personable, and familiar in the best way possible. The fact that this EP is only six songs long is the only crime that is committed by the band.
They are currently playing shows here and there and if you want to connect with the band on social media, you can follow their Instagram.
