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Music

Bum Yourself Out in the Best Way with The Lonelyhearts' "Downtown"

I recommend listening to this if you're in the mood of marveling at life, and wondering why we are alive. Happy Monday!

You probably don't know The Lonelyhearts—but if you do, you know The Lonelyhearts. This duo—made up of Andre Perry and John Lindenbaum—specializes in making you really think about the every day bullshit that stiches our lives together, and if you're a bit introverted like me, that type of stuff latches onto your brain and will not let you go. The Lonelyhearts formed back in 2003 out of a local scene that circled around acts such as John Vanderslice, Film School, and The Coachwhips. The two decided to separate themselves by making music as simple as possible by using, on most tracks, just a 12-string guitar and a synthesizer. Over the last 13 years, the band has evolved, releasing four full-length records that utilize Americana to explore the monotony of Midwest (and American) human condition. Moreover, what's kind of funny about the band is that each member (all two of them) live in different parts of the country, with Perry residing in Iowa City, Iowa (who also oversees Mission Creek Music and Arts Festival in the city) and Lindenbaum in Fort Collins, Colorado.

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The band's released their fourth record Age of Man, which continues their style of utilizing atmospheric folk to parse what it is like to be alive right now. Below, Noisey is happy to premiere one of the tracks from the record called "Downtown," the kind of song that has you feeling like you're sitting on the edge of a breaking point, but not quite sure how to handle it so you just keep on doing the shit you do every day. According to the band, Age of Man was inspired by Jennifer Egan's Pulitzer-winning novel from a couple years ago, A Visit from the Goon Squad, in that each song tells a short story that makes up a sum of its parts. The band writes: "In its entirety Age of Man traces an alternative American history over three generations, exploring themes of progress, resource extraction, vigilantism, patriarchy, anarchism, sin, and love." Heavy.

I recommend listening to this if you're in the mood of marveling at life, and wondering why we are alive. Stream "Downtown" below, and order Age of Man here.

The Lonelyhearts are on tour:

May 19 @ The Englert Theatre, Iowa City, IA w. Laura Gibson, Alexis Stevens
May 23 @ Daytrotter, Davenport IA
Jun 9 @ The Mill, Iowa City, IA w. Ryan Joseph Anderson