Tall Friend are a trio that’s currently based in Philly, but got their start in Washington, DC a couple of years ago as an outlet for Charlie Pfaff’s sharply introspective songwriting. Their Tawl Friend EP was reissued by Exploding In Sound earlier this year in preparation for their debut full-length, which is called Safely Nobody’s and is coming out this summer.

“Oats” is the first song they’re sharing from it, and it builds on the band’s charms. The stumbling forward momentum that was present on their earlier material feels more assured here, and the spindly and cushioned guitar work feels like a protective shell for Pfaff’s vulnerable lyrics. Here, they build to a painful exchange between parent and child: “Mom calls from the hospital/ ‘Happy birthday now you’re all grown up’/ ‘But mom,’ I tell her later, ‘I have been grown since I was small.'” It’s spelled out simply, and aches with the hurt of having to grow up too fast, too soon. Listen below.

Tracklist:
01 “Mother”
02 “Natural Things”
03 “72”
04 “Radio”
05 “KB”
06 “Apoptosis”
07 “Oats”
08 “Skate Ramp”
09 “Small Space”

Tour Dates:
06/01 Richmond, VA @ RomCom
06/03 Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong
06/04 Pittsburgh, PA @ The Hive
06/05 Syracuse, NY @ Spit House
06/06 Burlington, VT @ The Monkey House
06/07 Providence, RI @ Space Cloud
06/08 Boston, MA @ ER
06/10 Brooklyn, NY @ Sunnyvale (Northside Festival)
06/11 Philadelphia, PA @ All Night Diner

Safely Nobody’s is out 8/11 via Exploding In Sound. Pre-order it here.