Things have been going pretty well for Orlando punk outfit You Blew It!. The band just released their sophomore LP, Keep Doing What You're Doing, via Massachusetts-based label Topshelf Records (Braid, Code Orange Kids, Into It. Over It., Defeater), they've been featured on numerous blogs and websites including MTV.com, and the notoriously picky review gods at Pitchfork.com stamped the new LP with hefty 7.6 rating. Frontman Tanner Jones and guitarist Andy Anaya were even recognized in a pizza place recently, and Jones — who is a self-proclaimed fanboy of every band — clammed up when he found the tables turned.
"I think I came across as a real asshole," Jones, 23, told CL. "It's all so insanely weird and awkward, but also super flattering and gratifying." My quick chat with an ever humble Jones confirms that the attention is clearly not going to anybody's head in the You Blew It! camp.
New fans, labels, and managers have approached the band ever since an epic 2013 set at storied Gainesville punk rock festival, Fest, but Jones — a UCF grad — is still settling into a post-college life that is "way different" from when the band started back in 2009. You Blew It! has been getting assistance from a PR firm and manager, but the addition of extra help is almost a necessity since real life has taken away any free time the undergrad musicians may have. "We essentially went from being almost completely DIY to being total sell outs," Tanner joked. "We've had to find other ways to support ourselves besides music, which is where the booking agents, managers, and PR teams come in — they had way more resources than we had or ever could have."
"Plus they're not as suit-y as we really expected," he added.
Well, the time with the not-so-suity has led to a new video for "You & Me & Me" that sets You Blew It! on the stage of some random public access television show hosted by some random blue hair completely unfamiliar with the band. The clip is hilariously straightforward, and would've fit perfectly on the programming schedule of the MTV from yesteryear. Have a watch below, then stream their new LP at Topself Records'Soundcloud page.
You Blew It! plays a record release show at Mojo Books & Records (2540 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa) this Saturday, March 8. Dikembe, Prawn, Special Explosion, Ten Acres, and Adjy play support. Admission is $10 and the sounds kicks off of 9 p.m. sharp. More information is available at tampadiy.com.