Oakland-based Everyone Is Dirty is best described in their own words: “violin-driven post punk”. These words could not have been better exemplified than by their 2023 release, Caramels For Grandpa. I went into this album completely blind – I was unfamiliar with the band and their sound. Their name and the album title told me two different stories, and I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from Caramels For Grandpa, but I was very pleasantly surprised by the album.
Everyone Is Dirty is comprised of Sivan Lioncub (vocals and violin), Chris Daddio (guitar), and Tyler English (bass). The writing credits on this album are primarily shared by Daddio and Lioncub.
For the sake of brevity, I’m going to go in-depth on a few highlights of the album rather than on the album as a whole. The album as a whole is a fantastic showcase of the band’s unique niche in the musicscape, but I feel that a better understanding of this fact is gained by diving into just a select few songs rather than talking more surface-level on the whole album.
Living In A Flood – The album’s opener immediately greets us with the band’s prowess on string instruments. The soft and gentle guitar melody is bolstered by plucky and powerful violin, while Lioncub’s compelling vocals float above the indiepop-esque backing. I really enjoyed the usage of reverb on this track – it almost felt guiding in some instances, like it was bringing me in and out of the melodies. Living In A Flood is a really great introduction of their sound; I think it best showcases their grasp on their niche in the musical landscape.
Hand On Lunch – This track feels like it was a cathartic release. The lyrics seem to touch on coping behaviors, taught self-hatred, and expectations of others. The song builds and releases tension throughout, which evokes the buildup and subsequent release of anger or frustration. Of all the songs on the record, this one feels the most personal to the songwriter – it feels like many years’ worth of buried frustrations and anger finally had a chance to be expressed and released. The last few measures of the song really feel like a true emotional release – a bit of everything all at once.
Bad Man Who – Closing out Caramels For Grandpa is a chill, melancholy tune highlighted by Lioncub’s electric violin and somber melodies. The song comes across almost a bit folksy at times, which is an interesting contrast to some of the other songs on this album. In the background of the song is a piano layer that reminds me of 2010s indie-folk-pop instrumentation, which is an interesting addition to the instrumental foundation of this song. The final lyric of this song is also a really tongue-in-cheek way of closing out the album – the lyrics read “I promise you that / I’ll be back”, which could be 100% coincidental, but I’d like to take it as a promise that there will be more Everyone Is Dirty in the future.
Overall, this album was a great example of local, Bay Area talent. I really look forward to seeing what else Everyone Is Dirty has in store for the future.
You can find Everyone Is Dirty on Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, X, YouTube, and wherever you stream your music.
