1. |
Marquee
01:29
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I’ve been deducing
That lately we can’t lose and
Resentment’s been brewing
From friends I haven’t seen a while
They're like, "How’d you do it?
Longer, I’ve been pursuing
And the mix of LP1 and LP2 is
Nowhere near as good as mine"
And I agree but wouldn’t change a thing if I could
Find something else to nitpick like we’re no good
But we get better with age, can’t say the same for you
Write an album in 20 days, this EP just took 2
Don’t give a fuck about no analytics now
Your favorite band’s favorite band with barely 10k listeners now
Inbox full of solicitors, fans double as petitioners, the presence of parishioners
We stay wow’ing critics
How can you say that I can’t talk my shit?
How can you say we just can’t flex like this?
When you’ve never played to 1000 screaming kids
When an hour of your time ain't worth what ours is
I know what you're thinking, they’re just the opening act
He’s got no right to talk like that
No right to talk like that but
I spent decades just paying dues
Grinding for accolades so there'd be no excuse
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2. |
Middle Management
02:40
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Didn’t see enough niggas playing guitar so I learned it
Loud mouth asshole without your respect so I guess I had to earn it
A lot of narrow one way bridges so you’re goddamn right I burned them
Too many people hung up on status over style so you’re goddamn right we turned them
But every time I read a tweet
saying we should be headliners and staying in suites
I must admit it bothers me
Because I thought we were where we’re supposed to be
I thought I had all the credentials
But am I wasting my potential?
I could stay a D lister, a no name
Or I could write a manifesto with Noname
Because all of our so-called peers have known for some time
That their whole album couldn’t fuck with one line
I want my flowers now, not one second after we call it quits
I want a livable wage without resorting to car commercials and Greatest Hits
What hits?
Because I’m uncomfortable at the thought of a million people knowing my name
I didn’t set out to do this for the fame
The goal was always keep it blue collar, create something that we could sustain
More money would be nice, yeah, but I always refused to play the fucking game
But should I play?
Should I play?
Wouldn't you kill to be in the same position as me?
Should I play?
Should I play?
What would you do if you were me?
Oh, I just don’t fucking know
So just play that fucking instrumental
‘Cause, fuck, would do I do?
Do I play the game or stay talking shit with you?
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3. |
Potential
04:12
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I think I realized there was a change
When Bartees became a household name
Someone I regarded as a peer
Shot off overnight into the stratosphere
And that’s when it really hit me
I’ve been grinding all these years
For something I don’t want to be
Because I’m not built like him
I’m just not fit to lead a team
But I’ve been making more and more famous friends
But I don’t know where banter ends and where business begins
Am I in too deep?
‘Cause It’s too late to change the lane that I’m in now
If people depend on me
Then I’m all too sure I will let them down
Once a fuck up, always a fuck up
My foot stays parked in my mouth
They say I have too much potential
And we’ve come too far for me to waste it now
The ground beneath me shifted more
After Europe and the Los Camp tour
Fan mail and lines out the door
From fans saying they’ve never felt seen before
And I'm like, “Not me, no, not me!
Just turn back now, there’s only acrimony ahead
You’ll see, oh you’ll see a
Facade of a front man
I’m sorry, you’ve been misled”
But I’ve been making more and more famous friends
But I don’t know where banter ends and where business begins
Am I in too deep?
‘Cause It’s too late to change the lane that I’m in now
If people depend on me
Then I’m all too sure I will let them down
Once a fuck up, always a fuck up
My foot stays parked in my mouth
They say I have too much potential
And we’ve come too far for me to waste it now
But photo ops and slick marketing
Would be the death of me
I don’t want to be on TMZ
Gaining infamy from paparazzi but
Am I willing to give it all up
To do what I love
Is that the only way, the only trade off
Take a dive just for the pay off
What if we make it and I go the way of Mr. West
Would money change me or just bring up a version of myself I suppressed
Don’t want a wiki tab marked ‘controversies’
I don’t want to fail and hurt my fans the way my idol hurt me
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4. |
Earn
01:51
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How much longer can I stand in my own way?
How much longer can I take the day by day?
Did I do all I could, what would I say?
What do I want out of life, I’ll draw a blank
Because I’ve always been my own worst enemy
Accepted it as fact by 19
But now I've got real shot ahead of me
To go for it or talk shit from the nosebleeds
Because when everyone tells you you're stupid you believe it
When they say you're unlovable you'll do anything but receive it
So when they say you're up next, you can't conceive it
But maybe it's real, and maybe you could achieve it
How much longer can I stand in my own way?
How much longer can I take the day by day?
Did I do all I could, what would I say?
What do I want out of life, I’ll draw a blank
Because I’ve always been my own worst enemy
Accepted it as fact by 19
But now I've got real shot ahead of me
To go for it or talk shit from the nosebleeds
For everyone who ever believed in me
Every ticket bought, every floor lent for sleep
For every, “You got this, man!, “What’s the plan?”
I just can’t believe this 7 year fever dream
I owe it to my younger self to see this through
What we could be, what more we could do
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5. |
Lull
02:01
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By the time you hear this I’ll have been playing guitar for 20 years
I’ve lost count of all the shows, the failed bands, all the beer
At 12 I wanted to be a rock star, no matter what that grind meant
At 32 all I want to do is make enough for rent
I wish my dad taught me I could play music by doing something practical
I wish mom didn’t push me to school to just get whatever’s valuable
Maybe I could’ve been a foley making a decent wage
Maybe I could’ve won an award scoring video games
But somehow I’m here, ready to join the rat race
With a wandering mind, what if it blows up in my face?
Because embarrassing yourself is one thing but on a public scale?
I shudder to think, why set yourself up to fail?
But fear of the unknown could never slow me down though
Just like my move to New York almost a decade ago
I don’t want superstardom, I just want a career
Fuck it, whats the worst that could happen?
See y'all for LP4 next year
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Proper. New York, New York
Just 3 niggas writing prog rock tunes, don't overthink it.
'Part-Timer' EP out Sep 8th.
Press: [email protected]
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