It goes without saying that Micah Schnabel’s Not the Boy You Used to Know is one of the finest collections of songs you’ll hear this year. One third of Two Cow Garage, Micah can do no wrong in my book. The EP represents all of Micah’s strengths: a pull-no-punches approach to songwriting that is as clever as it is brutally honest. Unlike Death of the Self-Preservation Society, which was more politically-oriented, all of these songs are autobiographical (or at least seem that way) to some extent.
Musically, Micah ventures away from the tight punk of his work with Two Cow Garage and the familiar folk pop of his previous work. “More Drugs” and “Bang! Bang! Bang!” are great rock songs in their own right, but there’s something that feels more experimental about their structure that my ears still need to get used to. Meanwhile, the title track features some of the richest instrumentation Micah’s arranged to date.
Two Cow Garage — and, by extension, Micah — has always been about
grappling with growing — up, older, more mature. These growing pains
are well-documented, but never in a self-serving way. In a refreshing
change from a society that has been focused on data optimization like
never before, Micah pulls back the curtain and shows us how messy the process of getting older — and wiser — actually is. Not the Boy You Used to Know
focuses on youth at its tail end — things you probably should have
done but didn’t. And that’s okay, because the experiences you did have make you who you are. Relax and let it happen…after you buy this EP.
Lastly, Two Cow Garage just got all of their gear stolen in St. Louis (again.) You can chip in here.
Micah Schnabel — Bandcamp