You’re Gonna Miss It All
Modern Baseball / You’re Gonna Miss It All / 2014 / RFC:096
You’re Gonna Miss It All is one of those records that deserves to be held up on the highest of pedestals indefinitely - it is one of the most well conceived emo records that has ever come out to this day. Released February 11th, 2014 (Yes, this one just hit 10 years too!) You’re Gonna Miss It All reached 97 on the US Billboard 200 and 15 on US Alternative Albums which is unheard of from small pop punk outfits like Modern Baseball. Following two years after their debut LP Sports, You’re Gonna Miss It All really picks up the pace and shows the bands growth and maturity through the records lyrical narratives and guitar work. I vividly remember listening to this album on release day in my dorm room and being completely infatuated with it on first listen.
Modern Baseball delivers a 12 song album that spans less then a half hour with Brendan and Jacob spewing quite a bit within these short tracks. You’re Gonna Miss It All kicks off with Fine, Great - a self-explained declaration from Lukens that right away calls back to the themes throughout Sports. The acoustic guitar chord progression even brings in a major to minor chord change that is reminiscent (it’s super fun to play on guitar). Rock Bottom is another account from Lukens centered around trying to land a kiss on his crush but her being too preoccupied. In his frustration he’s willing to give up all his responsibilities to make it happen between them - “To hell with class, I’m skipping. Let’s order food and sleep in, I’ve got so much to do. But it’s okay ‘cause whatever, forever. To hell with the spins, I’m staying. There’s no good reason why I should leave your bed tomorrow. We can watch Planet Earth and brainstorm tattoos”. The guitar tones and riffs throughout this album are just as catchy as the lyrics. Jake’s Telecaster is set to the bridge pickup running into a JHS Double Barrel drive pedal (Morning Glory + Moonshine) and Bren is running a Stratocaster into the JHS Sweet Tea drive pedal - Combined, it sounds amazing together. Following track Apartment let’s Jacob share his crush story and his inability to build up the courage to ask her out - “I’ll walk home with my eyes low, dreaming up conversations we’ll have tomorrow”. Going To Bed Now has Jake taking the lead again in expressing his distaste against someone he hates. The folksy, almost country like vibe this track starts with evolves as the track progresses into the second verse - “I’ll admit, I’m in the same boat caught between my adolescent safety net and where the world wants me to be. But I’d never use that as an excuse to treat my friends the way that you treat me”. Brendan takes the reigns back in Your Graduation, probably the catchiest track on the album. It’s a song about how our lives change after graduation and most people drift away from us, sometimes for the better - “Bullshit, you fucking miss me. There, I said it, I guess I’ll talk to you in a few months. Sitting drunk on the sidewalk, I guess I’ll get up, I guess I’ll go for a walk. Brushed my shoes against the pavement, I swear this has gotta be the hundredth time I’ve thought of you tonight”. The epitome of emo. Two Good Things might be the best songwriting on the record. Jake’s aggression in his voice comes across phenomenally here - “Lord knows I’m stuck between two good things but I just wanna get out. And mom knows I should’ve been home an hour ago but I’m still outside. Not doing anything wrong. Just walking in circles, replaying high school songs in my head because it’s better than lying awake”.
Modern Baseball is college friends Brendan Lukens, Jacob Ewald, Ian Farmer, and Sean Huber. You’re Gonna Miss It All was engineered and produced by Modern Baseball and then Mastered by the one and only Will Yip at Studio 4. You can watch the amazing music video for Your Graduation here: Modern Baseball - Your Graduation (Official Music Video)
