Naps – “Social Skills” (Stereogum Premiere)
There are those that say this generation is fucked — probably because we can’t go ten minutes without engaging with some sort of screen — and, a lot of the time, I feel that way myself. That’s basically the premise of Naps’ newest single, “Social Skills” (“Generation propped up on pills/ We ain’t got social skills”), but the sweltering humanity and sincerity on display in every warm note from the Tallahassee best new band suggests to me that maybe we’re all gonna be just fine. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel,” Ryan Stanley admits before conceding: “We’ll let them do what they will.” The song’s more muted sound is a bit of a departure from the ragged bedroom pop of their debut EP, You Will Live In A Cool Box — all sliding circular loops and music box-esque accompaniment — but it keeps the same kind of accessibility and open heart. Listen below.
“Social Skills” is part of a new digital singles imprint, Lavender Sounds, an off-shoot of the band’s own label Viridian Sounds. It will also be featured on an upcoming split EP with fellow Tallahasee band Yikes, which will be released later this year via Viridian Sounds and It Takes Time Records.