Only Children

The Only Children is the latest project from Josh Berwanger, former lead singer of The Anniversary and his wife Heidi-Lynne Gluck, formerly of Juliana Hatfield's band Some Girls. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, The Anniversary sold more than 80,000 units for emo-scene stalwarts Vagrant Records (Paul Westerberg, Saves the Day, The Get up Kids) and toured with everyone from Modest Mouse to Guided by Voices & Cheap Trick. Josh Berwanger was the guitar/singer of The Anniversary. Those who appreciated The Anniversarys blossoming from emo to psych-masters on their last record, Your Majesty, will love Berwangers new project The Only Children.



"In The Anniversary, I was writing when I was 17 to 18 years old. I was still learning how to write and sing. Honestly, I have no idea how I wrote some of those songs. I can't listen to that stuff anymore," says Berwanger. Perhaps inevitably, the veneer of the Anniversarys perfectly crafted indie pop was beginning to crack as Berwanger began a dalliance a few years ago with more earthly, relaxed sounds inspired by a love of John Fahey and Beggars Banquet-era Rolling Stones.



Following The Anniversarys dissolution in 2003, Berwanger turned his flirtation with roots music into a full blown love affair with his new band. The Only Children has a sound inspiration clearly hailing from the likes of Neil Young, Lightnin' Hopkins and even bands like The Band, Fleetwood Mac, Guided By Voices and Modest Mouse. But The Only Children have got something more: the skills to play catchy songs. Their first release "Change Of Living" [glurp, 2004] is not a sad album where you sit on your couch, put your headphones on, close your eyes and start sleeping; it's a strong disc, filled with pop rhythms and great melodies. Songs like "Lonesome Road" are pretty unique and there is not a chance you will find them anywhere else.



After a steady year and half of touring, Josh returned home to write more songs with Heidi-Lynne, resulting in a new demo of songs that show a maturation of the rootsy, psychedelic vision originally put forward by the Anniversary but purer, cleaner, and more stripped down. Look for a follow up album to be released in the winter of 2006 by Lowe Farm Records.

Written By -Anne Goodnow