Needs Help by The Very Most

Needs Help is the fifth full-length album from The Very Most, which will be released on October 9, 2020 on Lost Sound Tapes and Kocliko Records. The title comes from the fact that Jeremy, the songwriter/main guy of the band, recorded a bunch of songs that, unbeknownst to him, were outside his vocal range. This required him to recruit a bunch of guest vocalists, including:

Melanie Whittle (The Hermit Crabs)
Kristine Capua (Tiny Fireflies)
Cristina Quesada (Elefant Records solo artist)
Gerri White (Arts & Leisure)
Sally Jati (Starry Eyed Cadet)
Gina Gregerson (Dirt Fishermen/Lovey)
Sarah Lowenbot (Thee Ahs)
Ashley Eriksson (LAKE)
Adam and Darcie
Eli Moore (LAKE)

Needs Help is also an appropriate title due to its mental health connotations (positive or not). The lyrics deal with everyday anxieties concerning parenthood, faith, fallible memories, internet nonsense, and how hard it is, ultimately, to change your life for the better. There's also a song about getting caught being choked up listening to Automatic For The People in your cube at work for the first time in 25 years.

The music itself falls broadly within indiepop, calling to mind at times Belle and Sebastian, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, or Camera Obscura, but is a bit more experimental and, perhaps, a bit darker than what you might expect from the genre. It includes synth textures, dream-pop influences, the requisite boy/girl vocals, and lush harmonies. It's the culmination of five pretty intense years of effort and it had to get made. We hope people enjoy it.

Tracklist

1.	Her Three-Year Old Laugh or The Time The Microphones Played In My Living Room	3:15

2.	That Thing You Like About Yourself (Is Hurting You)	3:19

3.	Do I Have To Do My Best All the Time?	3:18

4.	I Live My Boring Dreams	3:00

5.	To Just Be Good	2:33

6.	Better Fight Fighting	3:35

7.	The Wrong Skills	3:40

8.	Six Syllables	2:35

9.	Ten Years From Now Today	2:57

10.	Mirasticles	3:44

11.	It Has To Be Fine	5:01

12.	Songs You Skipped 25 Years Ago (Say So Much)	3:39

Credits

released October 9, 2020

All songs written by Jeremy Jensen. All sounds by Jeremy Jensen, except where otherwise noted. Produced and mixed by Jeremy Jensen. Mastered by Carl Saff. Artwork and design by John Conley.

CD/digital available here:
theverymost.bandcamp.com/album/needs-help

License