SINGLE REVIEW - The Losing Hope - "Returner"
The Losing Hope convey an emotional, relatable message with “Returner”
Written by JD Walker
It’s a common quandary faced by nearly everyone in their late adolescence or early adulthood: walking away from your childhood home for the last time. Some might say “I guess this is growing up”, but The Losing Hope have a more heartfelt and tragic interpretation of the age old, seemingly insurmountable challenge in their new single “Returner”.
The Losing Hope is a pop-punk band hailing from Minnesota that aims to capitalize on pop culture trends through heavy anime influence and imagery. Describing themselves as “Otaku pop-punk”, the quintet front the Twin Cities captures the ever-familiar sound of pop-punk classics like The Wonder Years, Me Vs. Hero, and New Found Glory while giving their own anime-inspired rendition of the sound. The band is coming off of their recent EP Two Quick Beers which offered fans a brief, two song taste of what they’re all about.
Composed of vocalist Skylar Cary, guitarists Chris Marguth and Jacobi Larscheid, bassist Tyler King, and drummer Nathan Mitchell, The Losing Hope hit the nail on the head in the department of emotions with “Returner”. Moving on from your childhood home is never an easy thing to do and the band seems to know this all too well. Cary does a wonderful job of belting these soulful lyrics with an equally soulful tone to match. The song drives like a well written pop-punk song should, laden with power chords and hardocre punk inspired cadences.
Growing up isn’t easy, and saying goodbye to everything you knew in adolescence is a familiar challenge to most. Songs that capture the nostalgia, heartache, and memories that these situations dictate are hard to come by, and one that makes these feelings well up are even more rare. The Losing Hope did a wonderful job of articulating what a “quarter life crisis” truly is and will undoubtedly ring familiar in the hearts and ears of music fans globally that have or are about to encounter a similar quandary. The Losing Hope has plans for a full-length record in 2021, and it’ll be exciting to see their trajectory given the immense talent and heartfelt message that they have to offer.