Runners In The Nerved World The Sidekicks

• 1Hell Is Warm03:05
• 2Everything in Twos02:42
• 3Jesus Christ Supermalls03:52
• 4The Kid Who Broke His Wrist03:28
• 5Pet03:49
• 6Blissfield, MI02:42
• 7Deer03:49
• 8Summer Brings You Closer to Satan03:42
• 9Century Schoolbook Grown-Ups03:37
• 10Satellite Words and Me04:02
• 11Spinning Seat03:53
• 12All Things Run01:43
• Total Runtime40:24

Info for Runners In The Nerved World

Growing up is weird. Very few of us ever end up doing that thing for a living that we imagined we might when we were kids. Even fewer end up doing the same thing for the rest of our lives that we were doing as teenagers, even if that thing happens to be making music with our friends. In the case of The Sidekicks, a teenage affinity for playing propulsive punk rock somehow, against all odds, managed to turn into a full-time life pursuit. After nearly a decade of making noisy rock music, releasing albums on tiny local labels, and incubating in the Cleveland scene, The Sidekicks are ready to meet the waiting world with their Epitaph debut Runners in the Nerved World.

For the recording of Runners in the Nerved World the band decamped to Seattle to work with famed indie-rock producer Phil Ek, a pairing that proved to be something of a dream come true for Ciolek. The results, on tracks like “The Kid Who Broke His Wrist” and “Deer,” bring to mind the kind of jangly pop euphoria of early Band of Horses or old Built to Spill records, while “Everything in Twos” is the kind of pop punk jam seemingly tailor made for singing along in a car at peak volume.

Steve Ciolek, vocals, guitar, keyboards
Matt Scheuermann, guitar, vocals, piano
Ryan Starinsky, bass
Matt Climer, drums
Chap Sanders, tambourine

Recorded and Mixed at Avast Studios, Seattle
Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, NYC
Produced, Engineered, & Mixed by Phil Ek

The Sidekicks
It's not often that people who are serious about making music stick with their "first band", but that's exactly what's happened with Steve Ciolek (Vocals & Guitar) and Matt Climer (Drums), the long–time axis and backbone behind The Sidekicks. The two Cleveland natives were childhood buds that played high school sports together and shared an interest in spikey–haired punk rock bands that would probably make them cringe today. The first incarnation of The Sidekicks was a gruff punk rock quarteet that bore the markings of bands like Against Me! and Hot Water Music; and their first proper full length, So Long, Soggy Dog, is what caught the attention of the punk scene as well as Chicago label, Red Scare. It may have been gritty, but it was a clear sign of things to come and even then these teenagers stood out from their peers. The band was dedicated to the DIY scene and toured with like–minded punk bands such as Teenage Bottlerocket, O Pioneers!!!, Cobra Skulls, etc. The band's early praise and inherent comradery somehow compelled them to stick together even as life and college took the members to four different corners of the State of Ohio. They ditched the rigid trappings of the punk aesthetic and started incorporating more melodic and sophisticated influences into their sound reminiscent of Midwestern indie–punk acts like The Replacements or Smoking Popes. With the addition of guitarist and vocalist Matt Scheuermann, The Sidekicks forged their next LP, Weight Of Air, which was named 2009's "#1 Album of the Year" by the genre's biggest fansite, Punknews.org. While their sound may have matured beyond their early punk stylings, they still abided by the underground ethos and continued to operate among the basement scene and toured the country with equally enlightened bands like Bomb The Music Industry and Tigers Jaw. At present, The Sidekicks have relocated to Columbus, Ohio, and with the addition of bassist Ryan Starinsky embark on the next chapter in their story. Through their maturing sensibilities and further experimentation upon pop structures, the band has crafted their third and finest record, Awkward Breeds, due out February 21st on Red Scare. They plan to support the album with much–anticipated touring throughout the year, including an already–booked full U.S. tour with The Menzingers and Cheap Girls, appearances at SXSW, and more. Past achievements aside, the latest offering from The Sidekicks, Awkward Breeds, will undoubtedly be considered their masterwork.

This album contains no booklet.