By Connor LaLone
Pop-punk group The Wonder Years (“Local Man Ruins Everything”) released a single, “Oldest Daughter” on April 21. The track is from their upcoming album which as of yet is untitled. The album was initially announced by the band’s frontman Dan “Soupy” Campbell while on the group’s anniversary tour for their first two albums, “The Upsides” and “Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing.”
On April 16, the band posted a phone number on Instagram which, when called, plays a brief recording of a voice muttering the words: “Madelyn, I love you, but we both know how this ends,” as well as the caption of “5 days. Pre-save link in bio.” The post received and created much excitement for what Campbell himself described as “Your favorite Wonder Years album” at a concert in Rochester in mid-March.
After a 9:45 p.m. preview on a Philadelphia radio station, the track was made available via streaming services at midnight on April 21. While fans may have been upset that the release was a sole track, the single suggests that the upcoming album will be the most refined and mature yet for the Philadelphia band.
“Oldest Daughter” reads like a letter to a love that has gone away, yet remains as a scar upon Campbell’s heart. Nearly ten year ago, The Wonder Years released “The Greatest Generation,” and several songs serve as a tribute to several different important figures in the lives of the band. The album’s eleventh track is titled “Madelyn,” and within Campbell discusses familiar ideals of self-worth, familial issues, and questioning faith while constantly addressing Madelyn. “Oldest Daughter” picks up where “Madelyn” left off, yet effectively represents ten years of growth and maturity from Campbell lyrically.
The song contains numerous callbacks to “Madelyn.” Those familiar with both tracks will feel a strange similarity despite their wildly different compositional styles. Campbell addresses the concepts of depression and suicidal tendencies, like he does in “Madelyn,” in the second verse of the song: “Some people get all the luck/Some gotta live.” The repeated references to substance abuse and Madelyn’s transient nature suggest that Campbell has genuine concern and love for her, despite the fact that he’s moved on and created a life for himself. The use of repeated lyrics like “I know how it ends” in “Madelyn” and “We both know how this ends” in “Oldest Daughter” further drive home the fact that despite nearly a decade passing, Campbell’s emotions still exist.
Musically, the track is comparable to a blend of 2015’s “No Closer to Heaven” and the aforementioned “The Greatest Generation.” The band’s signature style has never changed very drastically, rather it has been slowly tweaked and refined. “Oldest Daughter” is simply the latest example of the band creating a cleaner and more representative sound that still accurately defines them as champions of the pop-punk genre.
The song is a very solid if not spectacular release from The Wonder Years, and suggests that the group has matured greatly in recent years. Campbell becoming a father has undoubtedly played a large part in this. The logical conclusion is that the upcoming album will be a tremendous listen, and that is not the worst news of the day.
Photo from Hopeless Records via YouTube
