The Get Up Kids

The Get Up Kids share "Better This Way" from upcoming EP

Emo vets (and recent Polyvinyl signees) The Get Up Kids will release their upcoming EP Kicker — their first release in seven years — on June 8, and they’ve just shared a new single from it, “Better This Way.” Guitarist/vocalist Jim Suptic explained the background of the new single in a Facebook post, where he traces its origins back to his experiences in college:

The song itself is about making a choice. A choice that you think is right at the time, but then it turns out there really isn’t a right choice. Every decision has consequences good or bad. The best we can hope for is being able to live with the fallout. Relationships can be hard and need to be worked on. That goes for husband, wife, friend, family, etc.I think this song is hopeful, some might not see it that way. A glass filled to the middle is either half full or half empty. Sometimes it’s just nice to have something to drink.

You can hear the new song, along with previous single “Maybe,” below.

The Get Up Kids’ Matt Pryor was also interviewed by The Fader, where he was asked about the new EP, and which contemporary emo bands he enjoyed. For the latter, Matt cites the “fourth wave” of punk and emo, specifically naming PUP and Modern Baseball as some of his favorites:

I’ve been into what I’ve been told is the “fourth wave” — the PUP and Modern Baseball kind of stuff. I was like, I get this. This makes sense to me. But even beyond that, my kids have gotten me into a lot of stuff. My daughter’s playing in a band around town now. She’s gotten me into a lot of bands, like The Spook School and Diet Cig and Remember Sports. I was like, ‘This is good stuff!’ Her band, and the scene that they’re helping build here in Lawrence, is really cool. It brings me joy to still see kids playing punk rock in basements. Doing it because they love it and not because they’re like, ‘We’re gonna get signed!’ You can’t sleep on a floor forever, but the intent of how you start out is important. And how you carry yourself down the line.

You can read the full interview HERE.

The Get Up Kids will be touring North America this summer, which includes a NYC-area date at Jersey City’s White Eagle Hall on July 13, with support from Knapsack/Jealous Sound offshoot Racquet Club and Ageist. Tickets are still on sale. All updated dates are listed below.

The Get Up Kids — 2018 Tour Dates
06/14 – Dallas, TX @ Trees #
06/15 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (Downstairs) #
06/16 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk #
06/18 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom #
06/19 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah #
06/21 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory #
06/22 – Las Vegas, NV @ Backstage Bar & Billiards #
06/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour #
06/24 – San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s #
06/26 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos #
06/27 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge #
06/29 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall #
06/30 – Denver, CO @ The Oriental Theater #
07/11 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club $%
07/12 – Patchogue, NY @ Great South Bay Music Festival
07/13 – Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Hall $%
07/14 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts $%
07/15 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club $%
07/17 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall $%
07/18 – Charleston, SC @ The Music Farm $%
07/19 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade – Hell $%
07/20 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge $%
07/21 – St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall $%
07/27 – Bonner Springs, KS @ Providence Medical Center Amphitheater

# w/ Casket Lottery
$ w/ Racquet Club
% w/ Ageist