DAILY FIX: Fun Size, “End Of the Road”

Well, in a further confirmation of my pet theory that every band that breaks up eventually gets back together, 90s-era Richmond pop-punk flagbearers Fun Size have returned. With three-fourths of their best-known lineup (only lead guitarist Orice Collins has been replaced by Pedro Aida) back in the fold, they’ve put together a new album called Since Last We Spoke and have now released that album’s first single, “End Of The Road” (available for download from their bandcamp page).
The song itself might be my favorite thing that I’ve heard by Fun Size. While their 90s output seemed more influenced by bands like Green Day, frontman James Menefee has been dipping his toes into a more midwestern, perhaps even Westerbergian, alternative rock sensibility in his recent work with Long Arms, so it’s no surprise to hear a solid Replacements influence in the chorus–but it’s definitely cool. If the whole album sounds like this, I’m gonna love it. The video, directed by Dave O’Dell, features a nostalgia-inducing backdrop created by layering tons of flyers from Fun Size’s mid-90s prime over every inch of wall and floor space. I know I’m not the only thirtysomething Richmond veteran who took delighted note of every flyer for a show I attended. There’s a subtle statement, though, in James’s actions at the end of the video. As he and guitarist Brian Owen (whom it’s still weird to see without dreadlocks) sing, “Everyone has gone away–you just have to find a way,” he attacks the paper-covered walls, ripping the flyers down to expose the bare wood surface beneath. It’s as if he’s pointing out that we can’t live in nostalgia forever–one always has to be moving forward, making new music and doing new things, in order to stay alive and keep growing. Fun Size aren’t just some nostalgia act preserved in amber to remind us of our long gone youth–they’re still alive, and this song represents real evolution in a positive direction for James and the entire band. Or to put it more succinctly, it rules. Watch the video.