Previously, the split between songs led by Greg and Tom has been roughly even. Here, nine of the 12 songs are Greg’s, and much of the album revels in his wistful romanticism as a result. The title-track’s tale of a man haunted by summer love grown cold benefits from Will Yip’s (The Wonder Years, Code Orange) wide-open production, giving the moseying beach bar groove space to breathe. Not that Hello Exile sits around navel-gazing. The Tom-led Last To Know is a seething rocker, and the just-audible off-mic yell before the guitar solo showcases a band as exuberant as ever, even as Joe Godino’s beats hammer down like a hangover.
Occasionally, the rose-tinted glasses do chafe. Nostalgia has been part of The Menzingers as far back as Casey from OTIP, which made a small detail like getting high while doing the dishes somehow larger than life. By comparison, High School Friend’s old-enough-to-know-better shenanigans, or the knowing question of, ‘How do I steer my early 30s?’ on America… feel like low-hanging fruit. Sincere, yes, but lacking magic.
That being said, closer Farewell Youth shows they can still mine rich conclusions from that seam, as christenings, weddings and funerals become strange reunions with old acquaintances. Greg may admit his former self was ‘Always in a rush, but I was never sure from what’, but it’s sung in celebration, not regret. The secret to eternal youth, then, isn’t to avoid growing old, but to never let the opportunities missed outnumber the chances taken. Here, The Menzingers have gone all-in and hit the jackpot.
Verdict: 4/5