Listen to Sundressed’s New Emo Anthem “A Frankford Night”

It’s easy to forget how dire the root meaning of “nostalgia” is.

From Latin it translates to something like “severe homesickness — a kind of disease,” which means, if we’re being technical, we might want to put the attendees of those recurring Emo Nights popping up around town (and popping off in terms of popularity) under quarantine.

Enter Phoenix emo band Sundressed. Led by singer/songwriter Trevor Hedges, the band’s proven a favorite of the Emo Night crowd. On its new album, A Little Less Put Together, out March 24 on Animal Style Records, the band evokes a distinctly earnest early- to mid-aughts brand of pop-punk. Hedges cites Saves the Day, New Found Glory, and Taking Back Sunday as inspirations, and as if an upcoming date with Matt Pryor of the Get Up Kids and Dan Andriano of Alkaline Trio isn’t enough to cement the Sundressed’s scene cred, Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional is a vocal fan, sharing videos and posting about the band on his official Facebook.

But part of what makes Sundressed special is that while the band isn’t shy about utilizing familiar styles, Hedges and co. don’t trade solely in past glories. On “A Frankord Night” – premiered here by Phoenix New Times – Hedges sings, “Oh but now I’ve got shit to figure out/to know what’s gotten into me/is this all so necessary?”

It’s a breakup anthem, about moving out of a shared space after a relationship’s dissolved. But unlike so many punk ballads, the song doesn’t dwell in the misery, instead zeroing on the kind of hope one gathers at the start of a new beginning, albeit a painful one.

“You can have everything/I only want one thing/take the computer, the toaster/just leave me my dog/we’re moving on,” Hedges sings, reflecting on living alone. It’s about taking the next step, finding oneself and mustering the guts to keep going.

When we last spoke with him, Hedges said he considers A Little Less Put Together Sundressed’s proper full-length debut. It’s a killer modern-rock album and best of all, its nostalgic impulses are tempered by live-in-the-now fervor. Of course there’s nothing wrong with spinning old tracks and thinking back to the good old days of Vagrant Records, but Sundressed’s songs embody the optimism of that great Jonah “onelinedrawing” Matranga lyric: “I never wanna say my best days are behind me.”

Sundressed is scheduled to perform Thursday, March 16, at Rebel Lounge.