Sunny Day Real Estate

Formed in 1992, Seattle’s Sunny Day Real Estate are known as the godfathers of Emo. The four piece of Jeremy Enigk, Dan Hoerner, William Goldsmith and Nate Mendel released their debut album, Diary, on Sub Pop Records in 1994 to critical acclaim (including topping Rolling Stone’s “40 Greatest Emo Albums Of All Time”) and followed up with 1995’s LP2, which was released after their breakup. 1998 saw the reunited band (not including Mendel) release How It Feels to Be Something On, followed by 1999’s Live and 2000’s The Rising Tide before they disbanded for the second time. The original four piece band reunited for touring in 2009 and 2010 including their first ever European shows (debuting at Spain’s legendary Primavera Sound) and Coachella. Sunny Day Real Estate’s only new recorded output since The Rising Tide was 2014’s “Lipton Witch,” released on a split 7” with Circa Survive for Record Store Day. In 2022, Enigk, Hoerner and Goldsmith returned to the road on a sold out 24 city tour with the band rounded out by Greg Suran and Chris Jordan.

Pool Kids' third album, Easier Said Than Done, shimmers with emotional clarity and courage. Adrenalizing and irresistible, it brings the dynamism of the band’s live show into the studio, showcasing a style that's unmistakably their own.

Pool Kids first started playing on Tallahassee's house show circuit. The band earned a fan in Paramore's Hayley Williams with their debut album, 2018's Music to Practice Safe Sex To. After they filled out to a four-piece -- Andy Anaya on guitar, Nicolette Alvarez on bass, Caden Clinton on drums, and Christine Goodwyne on guitar and vocals -- their 2022 self-titled record netted critical acclaim with its lush, high-contrast mixture of pop, emo, and math rock. They've shared stages with The Mountain Goats, PUP, Beach Bunny, and La Dispute. They hold fast to their DIY principles: Anyone can do what Pool Kids do. Anyone can start a band.

For Easier Said Than Done, Pool Kids worked with producer Mike Vernon Davis (Foxing, Great Grandpa). They funded the record themselves, and spent five weeks recording in Seattle. To save money during sessions, they stayed with friends, in motels, and slept on the floor of the studio. "We did a lot of searching, playing each song a million different ways and deciding which one sounded the best," says Goodwyne. With the completed record in hand, the band signed to Epitaph.

On the thundering "Tinted Windows," Goodwyne grits her teeth at the way spending months on tour and missing important milestones can stress close relationships. "Exit Plan" memorializes the experience of saying goodbye to friends at the end of a string of shows, knowing those powerful bonds may never feel the same again. On "Bad Bruise," Goodwyne makes a bid for understanding: "Pretty please, empathy / Got me on my knees," she sings while the band closes ranks around her.

Powerful collectivity rings through Easier Said Than Done -- in the dynamic interplay between Goodwyne and Anaya's guitars, in Alvarez's gravitational basslines, in Clinton's whirling drum patterns. Pool Kids lock together into a unified force, propelling themselves forward into hard-won release. Easier Said Than Done impresses one of the most important reminders anyone can hear: You don’t have to do anything in this world alone.