13th Floor New Song Of The Day: Pageants – Worse

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Can it get any Worse? Worse is the brand new song from California-based duo Pageants whose new album, Sun and Settled Days is out Friday.

We here at 13th Floor like it so much we tracked Pageants down on Zoom. We’ll bring you that interview later today (warning, they are very charming).

In the mean time, here is the record company blurb:

Pageants—Long Beach, CA-based duo of partners and bandmates Rebecca Coleman and Devin O’Brien—today shared “Worse,” the gently impassioned final single off their new album Sun and Settled Days out this Friday, July 30th. “‘Worse’ is a self-soothing lullaby for my overwhelmed psyche and others in a similar position,” explains Coleman. “I wrote this at a time when I was really missing Devin while he was on tour with Cherry Glazerr. All we could really do to actually see each other was FaceTime once in a while, and when we did get the chance to FaceTime, we’d always kiss the screen at the end of our call. So sad lol.” The track debuted at FLOOD Magazine alongside a video made by the band themselves, a showcase of their unique personal and creative relationship. “We were looking to depict a sense of tension between two emotional realities, linked together by a painting,” explains O’Brien. “One side is content and carefree, while the other is lonely and forlorn, and both are held together by a physical manifestation of collaboration and love.”

Sun and Settled Days is the perfect summer soundtrack of glittering indie pop, finding Pageants personally liberated and sonically mature as they crystallize the golden formula to their sound. Previous singles “All Bets Aside,” “It Might Be Crazy,” “Just Tell Me,” and “Where Did The Time Go” have earned press attention from Pitchfork, Brooklyn Vegan, Consequence (New Sounds Spotify playlist), Buzzbands.la, The Alternative and more. The band will celebrate with ​​a free album release show on July 30th at Long Beach’s Vine. Sun and Settled Days is now available for pre-order.

As Pageants’ primary songwriter, Coleman (vocals, guitar, keyboards) dives deep into dreams and the challenges of growing up, as well as the harsh reality of staying put while her partner and bandmate goes on the road without her. O’Brien (bass, guitar, drum programming) joined Los Angeles band Cherry Glazerr as their bass player in 2016, and his initially short tour with them turned into three long years on the road. “I was feeling pretty uncertain of the state of things as they were,” she says. “Years of touring without an end in sight, a project on hold at home, and a recently turned long-distance relationship starting to show wear and tear. My frustration and anxiety hit a breaking point.” O’Brien chose to come home to her. “I realized if I wanted to continue this relationship and be in this band then I had to quit Cherry Glazerr. It was taking all of my time,” he says. “It was a full-on experience—it was fun—but my life with Rebecca is what I wanted.”

While much of Sun and Settled Days sees Pageants processing the past, Coleman and O’Brien now have their sights firmly set on the future—however uncertain it may be. Sonically, Coleman has never sounded clearer, doing away with the reverb-drenched vocals of their debut LP Forever (2018)—which earned the band press from i-d/VICE, NYLON, TIDAL, and more—in favor of a more upfront approach. Recorded almost entirely at their home studio, the polished production of Sun and Settled Days (spearheaded by O’Brien and his ever-sharpening prowess, honed through work on numerous other bands, including engineering for Best Coast and Cherry Glazerr), presents a freshened complexity for the band, and takes on a glossy sheen that hints at the brighter days to come.

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Marty Duda
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