The Underground Man - Knows Me Better

By: Joel Frieders

When this EP came through the SYFFAL pipeline (music submission bro, not an euphamism for gay sex bro), I was apprehensive about listening to it because it seemed a bit on the tame side. That all changed when I saw the 50s reference.

I'm a fucking sucker for nostalgia when it's related to those specific decades where shit was simple, dudes wore pomade, paranoia was spread via word of mouth, and no body talked about masturbating to a vacuum cleaner ad because it showed a lil' freckled ankle. The EP for The Underground Man was specifically successful in transporting me back to a place in time when one could fear incineration from a Russian nuke at any time, feel safe from said incineration in hiding under one's grade school desk in an assumed position, and the canning of fruits was an acceptable hobby due to said potential for said incineration.

The Underground Man sounds like the shit you hear over the loud speaker in old school department stores, it's half romantic, and three quarters fucking creepy, evoking an image of Chris Isaak toting a tommy gun. The opening and title track Knows Me Better sounds like a song you'd hear over a handheld radio turned on just after the blanket was spread out over the grass at make out point, which I hear is a dumping ground for a handful of different serial killers these days. Seriously, this shit is adorable and crime novel sassy at the same time.

If you're looking for a throwback, cool out, smoke a filterless cigarette, wear a trench coat and fit in, solve a murder mystery in San Francisco that's 77% more entertaining than an episode of Alcatraz on FOX, give The Underground Man and the Knows Me Better EP a spin bro bro.