The Long Way Merch Collection

Say What You Mean

Reviewed by Sputnik Music, 2013

If you’re asking, “Who is John-Allison Weiss?” then you are asking a good question. The young New Yorker is an avid DIY artist who already has 3 albums under their belt. They have worked with everyone from The Wonder Years frontman Dan “Soupy” Campbell to Candy Hearts to Lou Reed. When asked to describe their music in an article for AltPress, their words are: “I usually say that I write really catchy indie rock about my feelings. I’d also say that it’s upbeat and fun, but I can get really super-sad.”

No one can put it better than they did. On their No Sleep Records debut Say What You Mean, they give you exactly that; a record that is simultaneously fun and traumatic; upbeat and melancholy. There is screaming; there is laughing; there is rocking; there is dancing; you can even hear an instant of Weiss crying at the end of “How To Be Alone.” Needless to say, John-Allison Weiss is someone to watch in the coming years, and Say What You Mean is a record to listen to as soon as you can get your hands on it. Then hold on to this one, because it can find its home in the winter just as easily as in the summer.

The record kicks off with its first single, the very catchy “Making It Up”, which will not cease to get your head banging and your toe tapping at the same time. This tune also introduces us to Weiss’ crafty blend of upbeat music with their melancholy lyrical content; Tell me you remember / The way you used to call me your own / Tell me you remember / The way you used to say this was home / Tell me that I’m making it up / And I’ll leave you alone. Following the opener is one of the top tracks of the record, “One Way Love”, the booming rock number which is the fastest and most hopeful and most likely to get you two-stepping (more in an 80’s way than a hardcore way) that you’ll find on Say What You Mean. After a few tracks, you start to get the hang of how Weiss’ songs work; nearly every track has a moment that just begs you to belt out with your friends as you’re driving in the summer sun. Whether it’s the addicting post-chorus of “Nothing Left”, or the epic build up at the end of “How To Be Alone”, there are many great moments of energy bursting out of the seams of almost every song on the first five tracks of the record.

The first half of Say What You Mean concludes with the album’s masterpiece, the stripped-down, refreshing “Wait For Me”, featuring a perfectly placed and not over-the-top string section that fills the atmosphere as Weiss sings their most honest and clever lyrics yet: I forgot what it felt like to feel so alive / So I’m packing my suitcase and changing my mind / I forgot what it’s like to look the things you want right between the eyes / It’s never been so hard to say goodbye. The words are said with such raw emotion that it feels as if you are sitting next to them on their bed as they sing it. That’s a common feeling for Say What You Mean as a whole; you forget that you aren’t sitting there with Weiss, wanting to hug them, cry with them, scream with them, and jam some MxPx covers with them on the weekends. This is due to their genius and genuine lyricism that really invites you into their conscience.

The second wave of songs on the record pick up right where they left off; the tempo jumps back up and the distortion turns back on, but the deep lyrics remain. “Don’t Go” and “Hole In Your Heart” are good examples of something that is just as evident in the first half of the record as the second: Weiss’ songs don’t have to rely on a chorus to grab the listener like other artists in the genre. They use their verses to their full potential, with memorable melodies and meaningful lyrics. It is impossible to find even one verse of any song on the record with throw away lyrics. Sure, they can seem cliché or predictable, but that’s the beauty of break-up songs; we all have felt the exact same emotions as everyone else, and Weiss writes them in such a way that makes us feel like they are speaking our mind but with wording we would never have the talent to compose ourselves.

Say What You Mean’s closing track brings us back to sitting with Weiss on their bed late at night again, as they softly sing right from their diary: There’s something endearing about this empty room / The sun’s in my eyes now; it’s quarter past two / and I got my guitar and you got your space / I’m stuck in this place. The lo-fi feel of this track makes the song seem very personal and homemade, and as the song builds dynamically, it also builds in cleanness of production as they repeatedly sing: I’ll be okay. This is the perfect way to end the record, with a glimpse of hope as Weiss seems to be alone in their room, looking out their window as the sun overwhelms their vision. It is too comfortable and familiar to focus on the woes of yesterday, but it can be a powerful feeling to turn and hope for tomorrow instead, because there is always going to be another sunrise, just like there is always going to be replay value for an album like Say What You Mean.

Available on Vinyl from Get Better Records

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TRACK LISTING & LYRICS

The Long Way

Dust Storm

Pulled off the highway in a dust storm
Composed a chorus with my thumbs
Headed home to change the future
Headed home to turn and run
So tired of singing all these old songs
So tired of trying to be someone
Pulled off the highway in a dust storm
Wrote it out and called it done
Rode it out and called it done

Pulled off the highway in a dust storm
I never thought I’d see the day
Been overlooking all those warnings
Bearing down and staying straight
Keeps getting harder in the long run
Keeps getting harder to relate
Pulled off the highway in a dust storm
Write it out and call it safe
Ride it out and call it safe

Pulled off the highway in a dust storm
Composed a chorus with my thumbs
Headed home to change the future
Headed home to turn and run
So tired of singing all these old songs
So tired of pleasing everyone
Pulled off the highway in a dust storm
Rode it out and now it’s done
Wrote it out and now it’s done
Wrote it out and now it’s done

Different Now

There’s a song I’ve been singing for twenty-nine years
Where I spill all my guts to avoid all my tears
I say I don’t mind it, but it’s bringing me down
And I still love you, but it’s different now

There’s a heat of a summer stuck in my bones
So deep in my blood, like it’s all that I know
And I hate the idea of just hanging around
And I still love you, but it’s different now

Goodbye is never not tough
Alright is just never enough
And you cry, but I gotta get out
‘Cause I tried, I love you, but it’s different now
I tried, I love you, but it’s different now

In the still of the morning, you’re still on my mind
When I want you so bad you get harder to find
So I pack up the boxes, let the candles burn out
And I still love you, but it’s different now

Goodbye is never not tough
Alright is just never enough
And you cry, but I gotta get out
‘Cause I tried, I love you, but it’s different now
I tried, I love you, but it’s different now

And it was magic
You were the blood in my veins
It’s so tragic
The way a feeling can fade
And it breaks my heart
that I don’t know why

Goodbye is never not tough
Alright is just never enough
And you cry, but I gotta get out
‘Cause I tried, I love you, but it’s different now

Goodbye (Goodbye)
Is never not tough
Alright (Alright)
Is just never enough
And you cry (You Cry)
But I gotta get out
‘Cause I tried, I love you, but it’s different now
I tried, I love you, but it’s different now
I tried, I love you, but it’s different now

Tell Me to Go

Tell me to go
‘Cause I’m losing faith in my own self control
I’m a lost cause
I’m holding out hope
For a lifeline I already know is gone
I see what’s going on

Last time I fell so fast
I got so messed up
But I can’t relax
Take back the nights I missed
It’s so messed up
But I can’t resist
I overthink and overanalyze
I talk in circles ‘til I choke
Begging, tell me to go

Tell me to go
‘Cause if this were up to me I’d never leave
Like a signal in your smoke I can never read
Stay wrapped up inside my own head
Stay lonely for my own bed

Last time I fell so fast
I got so messed up
But I can’t relax
Take back the bad I did
It’s so messed up
But I can’t resist
I overthink and overanalyze
I talk in circles ‘til I choke
So if you feel me, if you sympathize
Talk me down and take me home
Or tell me to go

(Tell me to go x 13)

Feels Like Hell

You know I miss you when you’re with me
Somehow you’re so far away
You say it’s nothing, but it can’t be
I feel you starting to stray

So baby tell me, are we alright?
Or should I plan an escape?
I always miss you when you’re with me
Is this the start of the break?

I always listen for your heartbeat
In every second you take
You got me wondering about me
Am I the lines in your face?

So baby tell me, are we alright?
Should I be digging a grave?
How can I miss you when you’re with me?
Is this the start of the break?

Inside out
I’m not myself
Call this love,
It feels like hell
Break me down
Like day by day
Feels like hell
I think I’ll stay away
Stay away

Inside out
I’m not myself
Call this love
It feels like hell

I always miss you when you’re with me
(Inside out)
Somehow you’re so far away
(I’m not myself)
How can I miss you when you’re with me?
(Call this love)
Is this the start of the break?
(It feels like hell)
Is this the start of the break?

Miss Me

I wish that you missed me
I wish you were wondering how I’ve been
I wish you were listening
I wish that you missed me now and then

I wish that you missed me
Your picture still pinned up in my dash
The way that you ditched me
Ain’t never seen good times go so fast

And I know you’ve seen better days
Don’t blame you moving on
But you could’ve left a note
Or sent a song

Hey I just wish that you missed me
(Huh, huh, huh-oh)
I wish that you missed me
(Huh, huh, huh-oh)
I wish that you missed me
(Huh, huh, huh-oh)

I wish that you missed me
My memory means well but I’m tired
Of solving your mystery
Of singing these sad songs you inspire

And everyone’s got their own ways
Don’t think I dont got mine
But you could’ve left a note
Or said goodbye

Hey I just wish that you missed me
(Huh, huh, huh-oh)
I wish that you missed me
(Huh, huh, huh-oh)
I wish that you missed me
(Huh, huh, huh-oh)
I wish that you missed me

Sometimes
I get high and I can’t get out
The anxiety gets me down
And I know that it’s no use now
Yeah I just wish that you missed me
And I try but I can’t let go
I’ve been dying to let you know
If you’re hearing me now and you’re listening
Just know that I wish that you missed me

I wish that you missed me
I wish that you missed me
I wish that you missed me

Yeah the way that you kissed me
Under that late night street light glow
I can’t believe you dont miss me
Babe if you’re listening, let me know
Send out a sign that you missed me
Some kinda sign that you missed me
Oh yeah I wish that you missed me
I wish that you missed me

New Day / Old Ghost

That old familiar melody, it brings me home
A song I loved before, but now I barely know
I still remember all the words I used to sing
When I surrender to those woeful memories

To the backyard
To the old car
To the freeway
To the coast
Every new day
wakes an old ghost

That old familiar melody, it leaves me thin
A second chance to try and I am pulled back in
I’m bruised and broken as I’m brought right back to you
My windows open, I am choosing black and blue

To the backyard
To the old car
To the freeway
To the coast
Every new day
wakes an old ghost

And I see you now
Like I did back then
With a love so loud,
Let it bleed back in

To the headlights
To the big fights
To the sundown
To the end
To the shoreline
To the old times
To those lovers
To those friends
To the backyard
To the big stars
To the freeway
To the coast
Every new day wakes an old ghost

Can't Stand

Smoke in the sunrise
Dark in the dawn
Night after long night
The hard lines are drawn
If you won’t choose a side
I know which side you’re on
If you can’t stand for right, man
You just stand for wrong

Blood of my bad blood
Born deep down in me
Bred to be blind
To Black blood on these streets
If you won’t call it out
Don’t you dare call it free
If you can’t stand for right, man
You can’t stand for peace

Centuries broken
Wide open in pain
Your neighbor’s in danger
And your silence to blame
If you won’t call it out
I know which side you take
If you can’t stand for right, man
You just stand for hate

Smoke in the sunrise
Dark in the dawn
Night after long night
The hard lines are drawn
If you won’t choose a side
I know which side you’re on
If you can’t stand for right, man
You just stand for wrong
If you can’t stand for right, man
You just stand for wrong
If you can’t stand for right, man
You just stand for wrong

Lost in the old world
American dream
Pledge your allegiance
Oh say, can’t you see
All the violence that lies
In these secrets we keep
If you can’t stand to change, man
You can’t stand with me

Next Thing I Knew

Next thing I knew
I never heard from you again
Been striking matches in the wind
Since you’ve been gone

I’m getting tired
Of trying to light my lonely fire
I think it’s safe to say
I’m better moving on

Like, oo-oo-oo-oo-oooh
Another day, another song
Like, oo-oo-oo-oo-oooh
I sing along

Next thing I knew
The world was spinning into something
Never could’ve seen it coming
Either way

I’m getting weary,
Clearly I ain’t seeing clearly
Think I’ll settle in
And sing that old refrain

Like, oo-oo-oo-oo-oooh
Another year, another song
Like, oo-oo-oo-oo-oooh
I get along

[Instrumental break]

Next thing I knew
I never heard from you again
I swore you saw me as a friend,
I called it wrong

I stumble through it,
I pretend I do not do it
Let the best of me get lost
In all the gone

Like, oo-oo-oo-oo-oooh
Another day, another song
Like, oo-oo-oo-oo-oooh
I sing along

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Sumdaze

Some days I want you
Some days I need you
Some days I couldn’t care less if I tried

Some days I’m true blue
Some days I’m bad news
Some days I’m basically nothing inside

Some days it’s so hard, baby
I wonder over and over again
Someday I’ll know my way, so when?

Some days get too high
Some days can’t stay dry
Some days I just cannot cry like before
Some days I’m all gone
Some days I’m dead wrong
Some days I just don’t belong anymore

Some days it’s so hard, baby
I wonder over and over again
Someday I’ll know my way, so when?

Someday, so when?
Someday, so when?

Some days I’m all gone
Some days I’m dead wrong
Some days I can’t play along anymore

Some days it’s so heartbreaking
I wander over and over again
Someday I’ll know my way, so when?
Someday, so when?

Someday, so when?
Someday, so when?
Someday, so when?
Someday, so when?

The Long Way

I’ll go the long way, I’ll take my time
And I know someday
I’ll realize
It might take me my whole life
But at least i did it right
I did it right

Some streets are highways
They’ll get you home
The roads that i take
Are overgrown
It might take me my whole life
But at least i did it right
I did it right

All my life, never felt so good
Cut my path through the darkest wood
Found my truth, like i knew i could
In me

All my life, never felt so good
Cut my path through the darkest wood
Found my truth, like i knew i could
In me

I’ll go the long way
I’ll take my time
And I know someday
I realize
It might take me my whole life
But at least I did it right
It might take me my whole life
But I’ll know I did it right
I did it right

Young Love

This morning I saw your face
No warning, and then erased
I’d recognize you anywhere
It’s no surprise you disappeared on me

Your demons, they came and went
Your heavy heart stayed permanent
I reached for you, but you let go
I left you in the undertow

We were young, love
We were young, love
We were young, love
We were young, love

We were young love
Baby, we were young love
We were young love
Baby, we were young love
We were young love
Baby, we were young love
We were young love
Baby, we were young love

We were young, love
Baby, we were young love
We were young, love
Baby, we were young love
We were young, love

We were young, love

Credits

Produced & Engineered by Sombear. Mixed by Andy D. Park. Mastered by Ed Brooks.

Vocals and guitars by John-Allison Weiss. Drums, bass, keys, percussion, additional guitars and backing vocals by Sombear. 

All songs written by John-Allison Weiss, except “Different Now” written with Lauren Zettler, “Tell Me to Go” written with Lelia Broussard, “Feels Like Hell” written with Jenny Owen Youngs, and “The Long Way” written with Joanna Katcher.

Album design by Werewolf GF. Cover photo by Jennifer Bierkle, 1996. Back photo by John-Allison Weiss, 2007. Additional photos by Dean Jordan, 2020.

Thank you Jer, Jamie, Koji, Greer, Joey, Lilz, Malblum, Cap, Dean, Zettler, Mak, Nunes, and all the friends and strangers who’ve listened along the way <3