By Stan Cierlitsky
The magnificent new Time is Not Yours EP from South Korean band Say Sue Me is out today on Damnably. Say Sue Me has been on my radar ever since I first heard "Old Town" from 2018's incredible Where We Were Together album.
The first teaser that dropped from this EP a few weeks ago was "Vacation" and it features Kim Hanjoo from Silica Gel. This song sounds so much like those of Built to Spill, one of my favorite bands. The big bassline and chuggy guitars are so good. "Vacation" was already a Video of the Week here, and it is sure to show up on my year-end favorites list.
The newest teaser, "In This Mess", is a six-minute epic that will surely remind folks of Yo La Tengo. The driving rhythm and guitars are perfect! I shouldn't be surprised that Say Sue Me pays homage to so many of my favorite bands. Back in 2022 the band released the 10 covers EP which featured their covers of classics from Yo La Tengo, Pavement, Silver Jews, Grandaddy, and more.
The title cut here is another favorite. On "Time is Nor Yours", singer Sumi Choi brings out her best Tracyanne Campbell (Camera Obscura) impression over another perfect guitar-pop hook. For a moment I thought it might even be a cover. The last song I wanted to mention was the instrumental "Mexico", a number where the guitars are fuzzy, but epic. This one reminds me a little of Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, or maybe material from the debut album from Horsegirl, Versions of Modern Performance.
Don't sleep on this amazing EP out today.
Time is Not Yours by Say Sue Me is out on April 30 via Damnably. Details via Bandcamp below.
[Photo: Lee Jaehoon]