“My band played here a lot in the ’90s when we had lots of female fans, and fuck, they all were cute/ now I just sign posters for guys in tennis shoes.”
The above lyric from Mark Kozelek’s newest entry to the Sun Kil Moon catalog strangely, and sadly, hit home for me after attending a Jeff Mangum show earlier this month. Standing in the balcony of a beautiful theater, I looked around and realized that the mostly male audience was not only visibly pushing a median age of 40, while being a little overweight, but also appeared to be trying their best to hang on to the last shred of youth that was duct taped to the soles of their Chucks. It reminded me that life changes at a ludicrous speed and letting go of the former “you” is pretty fucking hard sometimes.
“Sunshine in Chicago” also reminds me how comforting and familiar Kozelek’s voice can be since it’s been a constant in life since his Red House Painters days. Download it below and listen on a sunny morning wherever you are.