The Districts – You Know I’m Not Going Anywhere
After playing over 200 shows in just two years in support of their third album Popular Manipulations back in 2017, Philadelphia alternative rock group The Districts faced a period of tough self-reflection. And if being physically and emotionally drained from touring wasn’t enough, Frontman Rob Grote, the band’s main songwriter, was feeling overwhelmed with the current state of the world, and feeling dysphoric about relationships in his life:
“This album was written as an escape and as reassurance. I was falling in love with someone new and trying to juggle this desperate desire to escape with the need to show up in my life. It’s pretty damn hard to be present and completely checked out all at once,” Grote explains. “It felt like much of my world had reached such a pitch that all I could do was try to tune it out. I felt really uncertain about the future of the band and super detached from much of what I used to identify with, on a personal level and with our music. I was thinking, ‘Do I want to keep doing music?’ ‘Do I want to keep doing it in this context?’”
Fortunately for fans, Grote and his band persevered, and have released their fourth album You Know I’m Not Going Anywhere. Considering the band has had a knack for trusting their creative instincts since they first began in high school, it is no surprise their new album is a compelling album that is and isn’t a Districts album…It captures the group’s rugged college bar sound but with twists and turns that are new to discography.
Grote explains, “I just want to be myself, and I want to try and do that as best as I can. This record is paradoxically the most-Districts record ever with no intention of ever being one at all. It’s about breaking free from how you’re seen, always being yourself first and holding on to who you are—but also about coming together as a whole and putting your ‘self’ aside. Doing all that, I’ve realized, ‘Oh, this is how I want to make music from now on!’”
That sense of self-discovery translates into hints of psychedelics, synthesizers, airy acoustic guitar, and pure melancholy. Opening with the ethereal acoustic single “My Only Ghost”, which shares similarities to the rhythmic trance-rock of NYC group Grandfather, it showcases just how comfortable the Districts are in their evolution. Sweeping into “Hey Jo”, a melodic acoustic-rock letter to a distant friend, Grote creates this uneasy balance of hope and self-destruction, switching between gentle verses and the song’s best guitar melody, before shifting into the chorus “Fuck my head, take it back, it’s dirty”.
Not only is You Know I’m Not Going Anywhere a re-development for the band, it also takes the genre of alternative rock literally. The track list is littered with varying styles, giving listeners different options over the 11 songs. One of the album’s lead singles “Cheap Regrets” plays with the synth-heavy post-punk style before exploding into a chaotic effect-ridden ending, something very new, but welcomed for the band. Likewise, love song “Velour and Velcro” plays with the droning disco sound of post-punk while Grote sings an uplifting and cinematic chorus of “But I believe in heaven, I have seen it’s truth”. “Descend” plays the part of a folk rock tune, but suddenly hits the switch to become ethereal and almost intergalactic as it closes. Lots to choose from.
Naturally, more familiar District-sounding tracks find their way onto the album, such as “The Clouds”, which would sit comfortably on their critically-acclaimed 2015 album The Flourish and the Spoil. Likewise, the heart-racing “Sidecar”, a song about of having control of your life, would be a welcomed addition to any album. The song’s powerful melody and ear-catching chord progression creates a sense of melancholy and excitement simultaneously. While it wasn’t one of the bands lead singles, it certainly holds itself as one of the best songs on the record.
And as the album comes to a close, “And The Horses All Go Swimming” dips into the experimental and psychedelic side once again, where crescendo-ing instrumentation and glitchy textures dabble into Radiohead territory; not before ending on the acoustic Justin Vernon-esque “4th of July”, a beautiful and poetic album closer that does a compelling job at tying the journey of redevelopment and the band’s evolution into a soothing and captivating track. It’s easy to get lost into the acoustic guitar and lyrics of “We left our bodies on the banks / And when the tide came in they sank / Into the blue moon’s glow – 4th of July”.
The Districts have come a long way since their 2012 debut Telephone. The shift of their sound is undeniable and a crucial, but welcomed factor as the band continues to evolve. Some may be left feeling unsure about the inconsistency in style on You Know I’m Not Going Anywhere, but nevertheless, the group’s fourth effort holds some of their best work to date. Knowing that Grote and the band nearly called it off, it’s a relief to know their determination and creativity won after all.
Visit their website to get a copy of You Know I’m Not Going Anywhere, and stream the full album here. As well, the band is on tour (dates below).
8.5/10
Tour dates**
3/17 – Detroit, MI @ El Club*
3/19 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall*
3/20 – East Moline, IL @ The Rust Belt*
3/21 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club*
3/23 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater*
3/24 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room*
3/27 – Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall#
3/28 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge#
3/29 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s#
3/31 – San Francisco, CA @ August Hall#
4/2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom#
4/3 – San Diego, CA @ Music Box Theater#
4/4 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar#
4/5 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf#
4/7 – Dallas, TX @ Club DaDa#
4/8 – Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn#
4/10 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East#
4/11 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement#
4/17 – Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club
4/27 – Brighton, UK – Patterns
4/28 – London, UK – LaFeyette
4/29 – Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
4/30 – Dublin, IE – The Workman’s Club
5/1 – Glasgow, UK – St. Luke’s
5/3 – Manchester, UK – Yes
5/4 – Bristol, UK – Exchange
5/6 – Antwerp, BE – Trix
5/7 – Utrecht, NL – Ekko
5/8 – Cologne, DE – Gebaeude 9
5/9 – Hamburg, DE – Bahnhof Pauli
5/11 – Berlin, DE – Musik & Frieden
5/12 – Munich, DE – Strom
5/13 – Zurich, CH – Papiersaal
5/14 – Paris, FR – Petit Bain
5/22 – Boston, MA – Boston Calling
6/19 – Dover, DE – Firefly Festival
* And The Kids support
# Glove support
** Shows may change due to COVID-19 precautions
