Released on my 55th birthday in January 2025. The national speed limit in the US was 55 miles per hour when I was a kid, so I suppose I’ve always viewed 55 as a fulcrum. On one side is staying within the socially and legally prescribed lines of acting and thinking, and then there is hitting the gas and breaking on through to the other side. The songs on this EP are me talking to myself upon turning 55 about life, love, and the world around me. They’re also just 5 songs.
The first one, “Vampires from the East,” is my favorite thing I’ve written in years – which doesn’t mean it should be yours – but it pretty much sums up how I feel about the world socially and politically in 2025. “You Say You Want It Easy” is a reflection on dealing with mortality. “Heidegger’s Haus” is bottling the ends on and finally making some uneasy peace with philosophy, specifically German philosophy, after chewing on it relentlessly since I was about 17.
At the end of the day, “Do You Wanna Boogie With Me?” is probably the only question ultimately worth asking. It may or may not be the only song ultimately worth playing.
Recommended drink: A High-Quality, Süddeutsches Pilsner Bier