Looser - Lonely Century

Philadelphia’s Looser deliver hook-heavy rock that fuses ‘90s slacker aesthetics with the glossy punch of ‘70s and ‘80s new wave-tinged power pop, drawing as much from the Breeders and Pavement as they do from the Cars, the Go-Gos and Big Star. Following a string of home-recorded singles and splits, the band have finished ten new tracks of searing power-pop that make up their debut LP, Lonely Century.

Lonely Century pushes their brand of heavy power pop even deeper into the hi-fi territory hinted at on their 2023 split release Bugs and Stuff: bigger choruses, buzzing synths, sparking vocal harmonies, and heavier-than-ever guitars. Kicking off with the contemplative ballad “Empty,” Lonely Century quickly shifts into high gear with the album’s pummeling first single, “Lonely Century Boy,” and rarely lets up until the album-closing fade-out on their sludge-rock breakup anthem, “See U Around.”

The band recently shared the second single from Lonely Century, “Friends.” It’s a sonic ode to the radio rock of the ‘90s, á la Gin Blossoms, the Wallflowers, and Sheryl Crow, with a dose of Replacements-flavored melancholy that explores the albums lyrical themes of loneliness, isolation, and miscommunication in an age that promised infinite connection.

Produced by Aquilino and drummer Zac Ciancaglini (both of CLOAKZ),ß the band started tracking Lonely Century in late 2023 with Jeff Zeigler (Kurt Vile, The War on Drugs) at Uniform Recording, and completed tracking in a series of sessions in their own practice space/studio engineered by Ciancaglini and guitarist Gabe Wilhelm, with Ciancaglini mixing and Zeigler mastering.

“We went into Uniform Recording in 2023 thinking we would bang out a tight, mostly-live, five-song EP,” Aquilino said. “But Zac and I both have this impulse to just keep going once we’re in the studio. So, before we knew it, we had five more songs written, and we were staying up until 2 a.m. every night adding all these extra touches—synths, organ, piano, extra percussion, layers and layers of vocal harmonies, fine-tuned guitar tones—all coming together to create something way more exciting and detailed than we had originally thought possible.”

Looser started in 2018 as Aquilino’s home recording project and self-released the EPs Envy Sea (2018) and Sour Power (2021) while assembling a live band that included Zac Ciancaglini (drums), Russell Langley (bass), Gabe Wilhelm (guitar), S. Catoe(synths and cello) and Megan Gouda (vocals). Looser contributed two new home recordings to the split EP Bugs and Stuff with fellow Philly rockers Heavy Shrug. The band has played around Philly and New York, sharing bills with Puppy Angst, Honey Radar, Mandy Valentine, Those Looks, Goodnight Lights, and Leathered.

Lonely Century drops September 26 via Mint 400, and on cassette via Musical Fanzine on October 3. The band will be celebrating with a release show at Ortlieb’s on October 5 featuring Queasy, Leathered, and Mint 400 label-mates Yawn Mower.