by Adrienne Fisher

Who are these guys? The Get Up Kids, originating from Lawrence, Kansas, are a band considered to have a seminal impact on the late 90’s/early 2000’s flavor of emo. Accomplishments and credentials include putting Vagrant Records on the map, touring with rock stalwarts like Green Day and Weezer, and writing some truly undeniable anthems that fall under most people’s perceptions of punk and/or emo, cementing their legacy in that genre. But (as we’ll get into below), they truly had a lot more to offer musically than just a backbone for the modern scene. Not to mention that some of the GUK members have got their hands in plenty of other projects: singer/guitarist Matt Pryor headed up The New Amsterdams as well as two solo LPs and a project writing childrens’ songs by the name of The Terrible Twos, while keyboardist James Dewees may be better recognized as the man behind the circus of Reggie & the Full Effect (or perhaps through his years spent as a touring member of both New Found Glory and My Chemical Romance).

The GUKs wrote and released four full length LPs as well as a litany of other songs on EPs and splits in their active years between 1995 and 2005. The band announced their official breakup with a national farewell tour in 2005, but reformed in 2009 to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Something to Write Home About. They’ve been around sparingly ever since, touring every few years and even releasing a new full length in 2011.

Where to start? The most notable and celebrated of all their records is 1999’s Something to Write Home About, their Vagrant Records debut and one that was instilled in “emo” (whatever the fuck that means) canon early on. It’s widely considered their best release and houses all of “the hits.” (The Wonder Years used to cover “Holiday,” the first song off STWHA, in case you need some contemporary context.) Nervously punky with aching melodies, the record’s an intersection of the angular and the accessible, with just the right dash of unabashed energy. It’s also the first full-length record on which James Dewees plays, and his contributions as the keyboardist truly helped nail down and round out the hunt to “find the band’s sound” on the album. Recommended starting tracks are “Red Letter Day” or “Close to Home” for those who prefer the upbeat and uplifting; “I’ll Catch You” and “Valentine” for those who are wooed by romantic overtures (AKA, the Dashboard Confessional fans).

As for the full timeline:

Four Minute Mile (1997): their very first full-length came out on Doghouse records and is a jittery collection of stumbling, wiry songs; this album will be up your alley if your preferences tend to flirt with antique production qualities and the innocence that comes from a young band writing with no one watching. Fun fact: the chorus of “No Love” was re-appropriated years later into the Early November song “Baby Blue”…illegally.

The Essentials: “Don’t Hate Me,” “Shorty”

Deeper Recommendations: “No Love,” “Stay Gold, Ponyboy”



their very first full-length came out on Doghouse records and is a jittery collection of stumbling, wiry songs; this album will be up your alley if your preferences tend to flirt with antique production qualities and the innocence that comes from a young band writing with no one watching. Fun fact: the chorus of “No Love” was re-appropriated years later into the Early November song “Baby Blue”…illegally. The Essentials: “Don’t Hate Me,” “Shorty” Deeper Recommendations: “No Love,” “Stay Gold, Ponyboy” Something to Write Home About (1999): As written above, this album (and mentioned songs) is without a doubt your starting point. But if you need another recommended track, I heard “Action & Action” for the first time when I was 13, got lyrics from it tattooed on me when I was 20, and threw myself into a sweaty crowd of aging Jersey punks when they played it at the Stone Pony two weeks ago.



As written above, this album (and mentioned songs) is without a doubt your starting point. But if you need another recommended track, I heard “Action & Action” for the first time when I was 13, got lyrics from it tattooed on me when I was 20, and threw myself into a sweaty crowd of aging Jersey punks when they played it at the Stone Pony two weeks ago. On a Wire (2002): Every band with any sort of career longevity gets to a point (or more than one point) where they write “the weird record” that veers off the course to which their fans are accustomed. On a Wire is the first GUK iteration of That Record, but after time and the perspective that comes with age, it’s hard to imagine why. Although most of the aggression is left behind on the songwriting for OAW, it’s instead replaced with a graceful maturation into solid melodies and an almost alt-country hue – even though this is the record that they wrote to try and move away from the trope of “emo,” it is definitely the GUK record to be sad to.

The Essentials: “Walking on a Wire,” “Campfire Kansas”

Deeper Recommendations: “Stay Gone,” “Hannah Hold On”



Every band with any sort of career longevity gets to a point (or more than one point) where they write “the weird record” that veers off the course to which their fans are accustomed. On a Wire is the first GUK iteration of That Record, but after time and the perspective that comes with age, it’s hard to imagine why. Although most of the aggression is left behind on the songwriting for OAW, it’s instead replaced with a graceful maturation into solid melodies and an almost alt-country hue – even though this is the record that they wrote to try and move away from the trope of “emo,” it is definitely the GUK record to be sad to. The Essentials: “Walking on a Wire,” “Campfire Kansas” Deeper Recommendations: “Stay Gone,” “Hannah Hold On” Guilt Show (2004): The GUK returned to more upbeat songwriting tactics with the songs on Guilt Show, and to date that album is their most polished, cohesive, and accessible record. It doesn’t bear the same “cred” that the earlier work does, because of the silly ways that our scene chews up and spits out bands who have the audacity to greatly evolve their sound, but instead bears its maturity with grace, retrospection, and an excellent grasp on the balance of pop and rock. It’s a fucking shame it doesn’t carry more weight in the canon of this scene.

The Essentials: “The One You Want,” “How Long Is Too Long”

Deeper Recommendations: “Sympathy,” “Is There a Way Out”



The GUK returned to more upbeat songwriting tactics with the songs on Guilt Show, and to date that album is their most polished, cohesive, and accessible record. It doesn’t bear the same “cred” that the earlier work does, because of the silly ways that our scene chews up and spits out bands who have the audacity to greatly evolve their sound, but instead bears its maturity with grace, retrospection, and an excellent grasp on the balance of pop and rock. It’s a fucking shame it doesn’t carry more weight in the canon of this scene. The Essentials: “The One You Want,” “How Long Is Too Long” Deeper Recommendations: “Sympathy,” “Is There a Way Out” The extras ( Woodson & Red Letter Day , Eudora ): The Get Up Kids’ Wikipedia page is a hodgepodge of 7“ releases and splits, which can make trying to corral everything they’ve ever released quite the effort. But don’t get bogged down! In short, there are two EPs that were condensed into an LP, as well as Eudora, the rarities collection, that contain a ton of key Get Up Kids songs and really excellent B-sides that are begged for (and sometimes received!) at live shows. Eudora is worth checking out on its own, especially for all of the unexpected covers on that collection (hope you kids have heard of David Bowie), but the necessary extras are as follows:

Eudora: ”Forgive & Forget,“ ”Central Standard Time“

Red Letter Day/Woodson EPs: ”Mass Pike,“ ”Anne Arbor"



The Get Up Kids’ Wikipedia page is a hodgepodge of 7“ releases and splits, which can make trying to corral everything they’ve ever released quite the effort. But don’t get bogged down! In short, there are two EPs that were condensed into an LP, as well as Eudora, the rarities collection, that contain a ton of key Get Up Kids songs and really excellent B-sides that are begged for (and sometimes received!) at live shows. Eudora is worth checking out on its own, especially for all of the unexpected covers on that collection (hope you kids have heard of David Bowie), but the necessary extras are as follows: Eudora: ”Forgive & Forget,“ ”Central Standard Time“ Red Letter Day/Woodson EPs: ”Mass Pike,“ ”Anne Arbor" There Are Rules (2011): Remember how I said earlier than a band goes through a few points in their career where they write a really off-the-beaten-path record? There Are Rules is the Get Up Kids completely shirking the expectations laid at their feet for a comeback record; instead, after returning from their 4-year hiatus, they wrote an LP that’s a conglomeration of indie-rock experimentation, at times channeling the style of the electronic 80s or paying homage to the lo-fi fuzz of Neutral Milk Hotel. Unlike the rest of their discography, the songs focus more on the style rather than the heart of the melodies, resulting in a layered record that’s not without its merits – but not a great entry point if you’re just getting into the GUK. Regardless…

The Essentials: “Rememorable,” “Pararelevant”

Deeper Recommendations: “When It Dies,” “Regent’s Court”



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