FOREVER UNDONE

Description

Through three well-received EPs of “sad and hard music,” the German quartet Letters Sent Home made a name for themselves as a band that combines contagious melody and huge choruses, with the lyrical depth and heart of people who have a lot to say. Now, after earning praise for their records and playing with bands like Blackout Problems and As Everything Unfolds, they are releasing their debut album, 'Forever Undone'. Formed while they were at school in the countryside of northern Germany in 2015, and becoming a serious project a few years later after singer Emily Paschke and bassist Lara Ripke studied in North America, Letters Sent Home’s music — an energetic blend of pop-punk, alt. rock and emo — has served as a vessel for Emily’s inner turmoil. This is reflected in the album title, a phrase taken from one of the songs. “It took us so long to find that title,” Emily explains. “The point of the album is that I talk about my personal trauma and the fact that you never fully heal from the things that happen to you, but you learn to live with them. You can have scars, but those scars will never completely disappear. There is always something you can work on. I feel like you’re never fully, completely satisfied or happy. All of this is set to music that is as electrified and youthful as Emily’s lyrics are deep. After preparing with their previous work and spending two years perfecting the album with producer and longtime friend Julian 'Polar' Huisel, Forever Undone is Letters Sent Home — completed by guitarist Robin Werner and drummer Louis Schramm — seized this opportunity and took their shot. “It took two years of writing and painstaking attention to detail to create the best album possible,” says Robin. “We spent so much time writing it, then rewriting it, going into the studio, putting everything in order, so finally releasing it now is a relief. We want it to be heard and we hope to reach new people. It’s exciting to see what people think of the songs and whether they connect with everything we’re saying, because it’s so personal. I think it’s a big step out of the comfort zone. You can hear that in the way the songs often look outward at the world, rather than inward as in the past.” Deliberately, the first single and title track “Request Denied” are designed as a bridge between the old and accepting the things that cannot be properly healed, and the new. “This song is almost about how we wanted to close this chapter of always talking about mental health and talking about the same thing,” Emily explains. “We talked about it so much and nothing changed. So instead of saying everything is going to get better, we’re saying, ‘Well, maybe it won’t, but that’s okay.’” One example of this new dynamic is “Ignorance,” a song dealing with the generational divide between those who currently control the future and those who will have to live in it. “Young people are under this kind of pressure to change society, to change politics, to do something about climate change and meat consumption, but they’re not the ones who are able to do that,” Emily explains. “The song is basically a cry for help to the older generations, the ones who are actually in charge, to help us. One line is: ‘We don’t want to put you down, we need you.’ The younger generation doesn’t want to go to war with these people — it’s exactly the opposite. We want to work with you!” Ambitious, meaningful and full of life, 'Forever Undone' is a record that will be one of the most exciting debuts of 2024. One that sees everything come together solidly for Letters Sent Home.