Lord Tennyson suggested a century and a half ago that, “‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” But judging by their romance-eschewing single, “The Past And You,” Baltimore indie-pop players Expert Alterations still haven’t taken those lines to heart yet. On the contrary, it sounds like the trio would instead opt to take the Eternal Sunshine route and Lacuna all memories of what used to be.

Appealingly, their jangling tambourines and bouncy guitar riffs serve as a pleasant distractor from the track’s pained lyrics (“Your insults now rhyme, they twirl and they chime / And they take their time / And I’ll watch them destroy / The past and you”) — an instrumental technique that puts them in good company (the Smiths, the Cure, insert another heart-on-sleeve alterna-pop staple here).

Listen below, check out Expert Alterations’ upcoming August tour dates with Literature, and look for their debut LP, You Can’t Always Be Liked, on October 30 via Kanine Records.

Expert Alterations tour dates:



August 19 – Washington D.C. @ Black Cat w/ Literature

August 20 – New York City @ Cake Shop w/ Literature

August 21 – Brooklyn, NY @ Shea Stadium w/ Literature

August 22 – Bethlehem, PA @ Shankara w/ Literature

August 23 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar w/ Literatur