Like Father Is Moving on With "Talk About Forever."

Emo/alternative band, Like Father, has just released their sophomore EP, “Talk About Forever.”  Originally from Orlando, Florida, the band is following up on their 2020 release, “No Such Thing As Home.”

Their first EP is a solid listen that showed a lot of promise from the group, featuring impressively well-rounded mixes, some catchy hooks, and a focus on personal existentialism. It’s clear that the band put plenty of effort into the writing and tracking of the project, and so this new EP had some big shoes to fill. 

The lead single off this EP and the first track in the list, “In My Head,” dropped in early July, was a noticeable shift in sound for Like Father. With a higher energy level than much of their previous work, there’s a sort of manic, joyous acceptance of the melancholic tendencies that dominated their previous work, albeit through self-induced numbness. The accompanying music video homage to “King of the Hill” is also pretty fun. 

“Paradiso” and “Midnight” continue the energy of “In My Head,” with blown-out, distorted strings, hard-hitting drums, and anthemic vocals. These tracks also further the themes established by the opener, with more lyrics about running away from problems and self-medication. The EP until his point has been heavily influenced by the sounds of alternative rock groups like Weezer and Third Eye Blind, more so than Like Father’s previous work. However, it still has the underlying introspection that links it all together. 

The closer, “Talk About Forever,” brings in a myriad of experiences and emotions: fond and painful memories, regrets, familial hardships, painful realization of what’s been lost, and nervous glances at the unknowable future. We get a beautiful trombone part backing up the sound, and the instrumental is the most compelling of the EP. 

What’s most significant about the track —and ultimately, the EP as a whole— is the confrontation the band shows towards the issues they’ve seemingly been running from. “Let’s talk about our demons and how they’re bringing us down / Let’s talk about forever and how it’s giving us doubt,” goes the chorus. It feels like a new beginning of not just accepting traumas and mental health issues, but actively trying to improve their situation.  

This EP is an interesting step for Like Father, one that’s distinctly different from their last work. Where “No Such Thing” feels like music for a moody nighttime drive around the old neighborhood, “Talk About Forever” is more suited for speeding down the highway with a couple of good friends, belting out the lyrics with the windows down and the wind whipping up everyone’s hair and clothes. Only time will tell where Like Father goes from here. 

Favorite track: “Talk About Forever.”