Bong Mountain. Source: The Partae

Bong Mountain is a band whose name I’ve been familiar with far longer than their music. Face it, you probably said it out loud and perhaps even chuckled the first time you read it. It’s one of those perfect band names you see on a flyer and overshadows every other band listed. By the time I actually got around to hearing You’re Doin’ Great! (For The Record,) I was already quite familiar with them in a weird capacity because of how often I thought about their name. Little was I aware that “familiar” was quite the fitting description of their music (in the best possible way.)

“Midwest emo” (a genre the Grand Rapids natives fit in geographically as well as stylistically) is known for being somewhat of a nostalgic genre; for whatever reason, newcomers find bands like American Football or Mineral to remind them of days gone by, of teenage awkwardness and undeveloped feelings. But Bong Mountain aren’t quite in this same camp; their sound may be jagged, but it’s not overly indulgent, and they certainly don’t take themselves as seriously as their forefathers (again, their name is Bong Mountain.) So as a result, it’s tempting to compare them to the so-called “party emo” trend associated with Counter Intuitive Records and their impressive roster of up-and-coming bands (some of whom may be future installments on this series…)

But the CI Records folks are all quite relatively young, some of whom still college-aged, and these bands are the first time they’ve ever written and played music in this kind of capacity. This isn’t the first rodeo for the members of Bong Mountain, who have all have played in other bands; they’re not yet “jaded,” but they are, somewhat, “settled” a bit compared to younger bands. And there’s no better example than You’re Doin’ Great! (For The Record.)

Originally self-released as a five-track EP in 2015 without the suffix, You’re Doin’ Great was re-released with songs from a couple of splits the band contributed songs to a year later to comprise a bonafide record. Regardless of which version you listen to, Pariah Carey will open you up to what exactly is so good about Bong Mountain. You get a nice twinkly jangle of some open tuning before bursting into a mid-tempo jam about getting older, with singer Chris Lidstone’s gruff vocals narrating daily routines and social interactions. There’s some impressive noodly guitarwork in the brief instrumental breaks, but it’s mostly good but uneventful emo revival material.

That is, of course, until the second half of the song. The personal grief is washed away, instead instructing listeners to just “put your feet to the ground on the downbeat / and do it over and over again until the rope falls slack from the ceiling.” The first time I heard this song, I couldn’t contain the stupid smile these lines made me feel. Bands singing about being in bands is often a one-way ticket to Cringetown, but the fact that Bong Mountain isn’t comprised of four fresh, inexperienced faces keep this problem far away from You’re Doin’ Great . The risk of sounding overly self-important is squandered by the fact that the band just can’t be bothered to give a damn about something so serious. So by the time the song somewhat swings back into describing Lidstone’s personal qualms, you’re still dancing via instructions you’d get if Tigers Jaw did a Zumba tape.

If you somehow aren’t won over by the tender yet infectious charisma of the opening song, luckily you can find it on every other song here. Standout track Why You So Short? is a hilarious and heartfelt anthem about the 7th grade, taking the idea of emo being a genre for teenagers bringing it all the way to the end goal. Silly as it is, it’s hard not to be charmed by our awkward narrator and his grateful attitude towards his friend Davina in a series of short personal notes. I’m sure anyone who had some awkward teenage years (read: anyone listening to a band called Bong Mountain) had a friend who they knew were far too cool for them, but got lucky enough to hang around due to their unabashed kindness. The song is also structured perfectly for these lyrics, starting as a slow and twinkly clap-a-long that builds and builds until it climaxes with a d-beat finale that has enough energy to power a thousand push-pits.

Bong Mountain performing at The Fest. Source: Nick Zimmer Photography.

That burst of punk energy, which seeps its way into several other songs on the album, is why even though I would call Bong Mountain emo, I wouldn’t necessarily classify them as an “emo band.” Although they have the openness both emotionally and tuning-wise as their emo contemporaries, the vocals are far from whiny and the rhythm section is consistently tight and fast. The band has gotten comparisons to Fest heavyweights such as Against Me! and Hot Water Music, and it’s quite easy to understand why. They’re still quite heart-on-sleeve, but are never sappy (unless they’re being ironically so) and still have an edge to their music. This is why I think Bong Mountain belong less in a class of bands like Mom Jeans and more in a class like Captain, We’re Sinking, Apologies, I Have None or Signals Midwest (who they aptly reference with the song Symbiosis Midwest, whose closing melody sounds like the opening melody to SM’s St. Vincent Charity.)

The final four songs on the (For The Record) version, compiled from two more low-profile releases, manages to be material just as strong as the main EP they were attached onto later on. The songs from the Junior Battles split in particular are wonderful. Chouse Party is an ode to shitty karaoke being heaven on Earth with some good friends and some better alcohol. I’m still not sure which lyric from this song makes me laugh harder: “And soon the room’s alive with / that Jagged Little Pill tape” or “Tonight that fucking Journey song’s / not terrible for once.” The other song, Don’t Shred on Me, was my first audio taste of Bong Mountain and an instant classic with a math rock-y hook and some relatable but somewhat optimistic lyrics regarding depression.

In case anyone reading is unfamiliar with a “comic’s comic,” the idea is that some comedians don’t necessarily have mainstream appeal, but other comedians find what they do refreshing and extremely high quality. People like Tom Scharpling of The Best Show or Maria Bamford are good examples. As someone who listens to dozens of DIY records a year and goes to as many shows as my shitty hourly income lets me, I think I can safely say Bong Mountain are a DIYer’s DIY band.

Bong Mountain play The Fest at High Dive on 10/28 (conveniently right before the first band I wrote about in this series, Dollar Signs.) They won’t be playing again for the rest of the year save for a Detroit show near the tail end of December, but according to social media they’ve been spending some time in the studio to record a likely worthy follow-up. Until then, you have You’re Doin’ Great (For The Record)’s downbeats to put your feet to the ground to.

After grabbing the album from Stonewalled Records’ Bandcamp, consider giving me a few dollars for this piece (and a sincere thank you to the kind few who’ve donated so far to my last piece!)