Vocalist Michael Maffei and guitarist Sundeep Kapur make up the Hunter & Wolfe duo. Written amidst sleepless nights and fueled by a range of emotions, they embarked on their newest musical odyssey. Maffei said: “When we wrote this record, I was waking up at all hours and struggling to get back to sleep. This song is about the listless feeling that kept me up at night and the difficulty I had shaking it.” I Deserve This their newest 11-track album is out now via EARMILK. Co-produced by the talented trio of Asher Kurtz, Sundeep Kapur, and Michael Maffei, the album includes Anders Kapur on bass, Sean Mullins on drums and percussion, Chris Baum on violin, and Asher Kurtz on guitar. The album also features vocal performances from Asher Kurtz on “Anyone” and Gabbi Coenen of RVBY MY DEAR on “Laugh Lines.” The lyrics have a sense of seriousness and self-awareness, they lighten the mood with quirky observations and twinkly synths. Sonically their songs are influenced by the likes of Elliot Smith and St. Vincent and some other indie-rock favorites.

“When I Wake Up,” this song is upbeat with witty lyrics, it throws us right into their album.

“Famous Friends” brings a touch of cynicism to the beginning of the album. It’s about conflicting feelings, the middle ground between feeling joy for others’ achievements and experiencing envy towards them. It’s hard not to compare yourself to others when they’re accomplishing more than you. Even if not all our friends are becoming rock stars, we’ve all experienced twinges of jealousy.

“Coulda Tried” – This song starts right off with moody lyrics and a guitar that follows the vocal melody very closely. I would describe this song as charming. The full band finally comes in just in time for the finale.

“Last Time” – This song stays true to the themes of the album; it has both the seriousness and the self-awareness to never take themselves too seriously.

“Go For It” Maffei said “[it] is a song about the phase of denial and loneliness that can come from loss. I’d recently lost a friend and wrote about the thread between those feelings and those I’d experienced from previous losses in my life.”

“the house is burning down” – Right in the middle album we have a short and sweet ballad. Distant and distorted, it’s hard to make out the words, but they’re potent with emotion.

“Anyone” – After the calm piano ballad this song picks the album right back up. The lyrics are filled with loneliness, they reminisce on a relationship that was lost. Focusing on the fact that clearly that other person doesn’t need anyone at all.

“Done With You” – The lyrics in this song reflect a sense of identity loss and the pressure to conform to someone else’s expectations. The repeated line “when they’re high on you…” suggests that their actions are determined by the other person’s emotions. 

“Laugh Lines” – The lyrics find the author at their wits’ end, they’re tired and stuck in a state of mediocrity. Said you’d call me up for the holidays / And I see it now for the comedy / But the laugh lines, they never came.

“Sleep Again” – This song starts out strong with the stand-out line: And I try to talk to Jesus / But he won’t return my calls. I think that these lyrics are a great example of Maffei’s humor.

“Isn’t It Wonderful to Live?” – We’ve made it up to this point, let’s check out the finale, shall we? Distant vocals convey a comforting and sort of reassuring, but definitely sad ending. With stand-out line: “What could be worse than calling the hearse and waiting for the morning?”

This album overall has some pop sensibilities to it, but I’m not sure I would categorize it as such. The lyrics are very centered around Michael Maffei as the protagonist, taking us through his thoughts of self-doubt at times pity. It does feel like these are the things that are keeping him up at night. In an insomniac state he carved out his thoughts and fears, working through them one song at a time. The album isn’t particularly sonically diverse, they’re mostly mid-tempo ballads. They remind me of bands such as Yo La Tengo. The production didn’t stand out to me as particularly memorable; they were pretty true to how they might sound live. The lyrics left me rooting for him.

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