Brooklyn-based emo trio Proper. just put out their third single, “Huerta,” off of their upcoming album The Great American Novel. This time around, singer Erik Garlington sings about his Mexican heritage and “what could have been.”
In a press release, Garlington wrote: “We’re coming up on our third album and I realized I hadn’t written about my Mexican heritage at all. My grandfather immigrated to the U.S. in the ’50s but died before I was born, cutting off the only tie my family has to Mexico. I grew up romanticizing it and it wasn’t until I was older, when my mom and her siblings spoke out about their dad without the filter one uses when speaking around children, that I began to critically examine what heritage and lineage meant. ‘Huerta’ is about looking at the least traveled part of your personality and daydreaming about the possibility.”
The song kicks off with a great guitar hook before launching into Garlington’s honest, autobiographical lyrics. The bassline before the bridge and the punchy percussion in particular really showcases just how skilled this band is – Garlington, Natasha Johnson, and Elijah Watson’s instrumentation all blend perfectly.
Proper.’s new album, The Great American Novel, is due March 25th, 2022. The album will release through Father/Daughter Records, Big Scary Monsters, and Old Press Records. It will be produced by Bartees Strange, who is also credited as the co-producer on Oceanator’s upcoming album.
You can check out the live stream we did with Proper. here, and listen to our podcast episode where we discuss their 2019 album, I Spent the Winter Writing Songs About Getting Better.
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