Portland’s Swiss Army Wife built a cult following with 2023’s Medium Gnarly, a scrappy, hyper-specific debut that earned comparisons to You Blew It! and Free Throw, and a shout-out from Anthony Fantano. Their second LP, “i love you, but I hate it here,” is heavier, heartbroken, and ultimately more ambitious. Riffs bear a tightly wound ferocity, and desperate vocals tangle with larger threats: abortion bans, overdose, gender dysphoria, collapsing rural towns, climate grief, and medical debt, all while maintaining emo’s penchant for unflinching intimacy. “i love you, but I hate it here,” is a record about loving a hometown, a body, and a scene in active decay. It’s the sound of a band growing up inside a country that feels increasingly uninhabitable, and refusing to give up on attempting to find parts of it to call home.
FFO: Ben Quad, Touché Amoré, and Kerosene Heights
