Running through โBottlesโ is the familiar tinge of nostalgia that grips you hardest in longing when summer feels impossibly far away, and memory is doing most of the warming. Athens pop-punk trio The Unfamiliars? lean fully into that feeling here, with this nostalgic, bittersweet single that bottles up sun, salt, friendship, and loss, then cracks it open in the dead of winter. As their fourth release ahead of their debut album Fun, Isnโt It?, the song is a thesis statement for their emotionally messy, melody-driven sound, rooted in shared moments that refuse to fade.
โBottlesโ opens with steady, thumping beats and a surprisingly gentle musical bed, easing you in before Martina Demopoulouโs high, delicate voice takes control. Her performance is the heart of the songโsoft and trailing at first, almost fragile, then sharpening at the edges as the emotions start to bite. Tense and beautiful, some words land bitter and clenched, others dissolve into vulnerability and melancholy. When the chorus hits, she sings with conviction and barely contained anger, like someone forcing themselves to let go while still holding on.
Lyrically, the song thrives on contrast, as cold nights are pressed against barefoot dancing, goodbyes meddle with rain-soaked roads, and you are walking alone while thickening of shared summers. You will hear the recurring line, โI fill up a bottle with summer and drink it all,โ become a comfort that defies the cold, choosing memory over regret, and warmth over bitterness. As the track builds, the guitars grow more urgent, the emotions more exposed, but it never loses that pop-punk immediacy that makes it sing-along ready.
True to The Unfamiliars?โ VHS-tinged aesthetic, โBottlesโ is like flipping through old tapes that haunt you still. Itโs that tender song you play when you miss somethingโor someoneโand need reminding that some summers, or some refreshing memory, never really end or go away.
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Review by: Naomi Joan