Ford the River is a band full of dudes from Lancaster, PA on the “wrong side of 30” playing punk rock without any pretense that anyone will care. And damn, they do it well.
I honestly don’t want to hear a bunch of old dudes singing about girls, breakups and that kind of trivial shit. Not to say I don’t like trivial shit, I just really like HONEST trivial shit. I love it when bands write about what they know, and what is actually relevant to them. This album is full of honest trivial shit. And it is great.
“Anthem Part 3” starts the album off to tell you exactly what this band is about:
Our biggest fans are just six years old / CDs and t-shirts are going unsold / Even our wives think this is a joke / they’ll tolerate it until we go broke
If you can’t relate, keep in mind, you were warned, the album is called Adult Thoughts. If you’re a punker past 30, you probably get this album. And this album gets you. Ford the River take nods from Superchunk, the Promise Ring, Seaweed and other bands from that late 90s early 2000s scene that were right on the edge of emo, but still knew how to rock out when necessary.
There’s a sense of helplessness and giving up in these songs, but at the same time they seem content with where they’ve landed. The 9-5 grind sucks but Monday nights they get to go to band practice and have a couple beers, but get home before their wives get mad. Work sucks, and Ford the River isn’t exactly sure how they got here, they’re a little bit bummed about it, but having fun, and accepting adulthood.
Check out Adult Thoughts on Bandcamp, Spotify or wherever you stream music.
