Poems Find Their Voice in New EP "Half-Life"

There’s a quiet kind of electricity running through Half-Life, the latest EP from San Diego’s rising indie rock outfit Poems.

It’s not the flashy, overproduced energy you’ll find in chart chasing pop, and nor is it the detached cool of post punk revivalism.

Instead, it's something more personal. An undercurrent of nervous tension, self reflection and eventual release that feels instantly relatable to anyone who has wrestled with anxiety or who has grown up trying to understand themselves in a confusing world.

Listen to Half-Life here:

From the opening chords of "Placebo", Poems sets the tone with lightly fuzzy guitars and a rhythm section that lets the song breathe.

The vocals arrive with a commanding yet vulnerable presence, painting scenes of isolation and fragile self-control. The understated sense of melancholy is its greatest strength when the weight of the lyrics does the heavy lifting. It's an introduction that is expansive and a promise of what the rest of the EP will explore.

Thematically, Half-Life circles around the struggles of young adulthood. Coming of age while feeling weighed down by prescription medication, anxiety and the long, uneven process of figuring out who you really are.

What makes the record compelling is how Poems never treat these subjects as abstract concepts. Instead, each track feels as if lifted directly from the journal entries of late nights and restless mornings.

"NFS" leans into shadowy restraint, its atmosphere heavy with tension. The instrumentation is deliberately pared back, mirroring the lyrical exploration of withdrawal and the uneasy quiet that often follows emotional turbulence.

By contrast, "Afterparty" bursts with energy. It’s the track that already serves as the band’s live closer, and for good reason. It captures the claustrophobic awkwardness of showing up dressed to impress, only to realize you’re stuck in your own head the entire night. It’s anxious, it’s messy, it’s painfully human. And in its honesty, it becomes strangely anthemic.

About "Afterparty", lead singer Philip Earnest says:

"When Afterparty was first conceived, the chorus riff stayed in our heads for weeks after, while we continued to work through it, we felt we stumbled upon a track to build an EP on, and that's just what we did. The first time we played this live was in San Francisco to a packed house during our supporting gig for The Never Ending Fall. We strategically placed it last in the set, hoping the crowd of potential new fans would relate to the track as much as we hoped. As the reverb on the final chord rang out, we were met with 1-2 seconds of silence, followed by an avalanche of cheers and eager new fans waiting to greet us. "That's a hit", the one-liner we were met with from the sound engineer at the venue.

Afterparty is the track that ties the EP together, telling the story of an adolescent who is struggling with anxiety, all the while being prescribed medication to deal with it. It's a conversation taking place inside his head. Could anyone enjoy him if the only reason he could ever deal with this anxious feeling is to be on prescription drugs?"

What holds the EP together is not just its lyrical throughline but its cohesive sound. The guitars carry a subtle fuzz that nods to early 2000's indie heroes like Interpol or Bloc Party, while the production favors clarity, leaving enough space for each element to land.

Poems aren’t interested in reinventing the wheel here, but in carving out a sound that feels like theirs. And they succeed. While influences are audible, each member’s contribution brings a fingerprint that pushes the songs into a space that’s distinctly Poems.

At just a few tracks long, Half-Life doesn’t overstay its welcome. If anything, it leaves you wanting more, as if this release is less a final statement and more the beginning of one.

About Poems

Poems began their journey in Seattle in 2021 before planting roots in San Diego, where they have quickly become a standout in the city’s indie rock landscape.

The five-piece - Philip Ernest, Grayson Hagopian, Zae Howell, Jeremy Smucker and Sammuel McCubbin - channel a wide spectrum of influences. From the big sounds of Interpol, the melodic charm of Hippo Campus, the youthful spark of The Wallows and the brooding elegance of The National.

In just a short time, they’ve brought their magnetic sound to some of California’s most storied venues, including The Casbah and The Belly Up Tavern. Their music balances atmosphere with emotional clarity, a quality that has already started to set them apart.

Behind the studio boards, Poems have surrounded themselves with a powerhouse team - John Catlin on the mix, Brian Squillace on production, and Grammy-winning engineer John Greenham (Billie Eilish) handling the mastering.

Together, they’ve helped the band refine their vision into something both precise and expansive.

Connect with Poems:

Website / Instagram / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube