Teenage Fanclub – “Everything Is Falling Apart” (Singles Going Steady)

Rod Waterman: Teenage Fanclub create an impeccably boss Velvet Underground groove here. This is how you grow old gracefully, as the Feelies taught us a couple of years ago with their sneaky good 2017 album In Between. This jam, in all the best ways, also recalls the heyday of what the dearly-departed American Analog Set used to do with their eyes closed for all the years we were lucky enough to have them. “Everything Is Falling Apart” plows a similar furrow, with very satisfying results, not to mention the immaculate close-ups of Doc Martin boots and enlarged bass guitar strings and frets in the video, reifying and fetishizing almost perfectly the apotheosis of this immaculate subgenre that occurs at the intersection of pop and drone. Teenage Fanclub’s quality control has always been second to none, and this is just another gorgeous example of their work. Please to make the 20-minute remix, stat. [9/10]

Chris Ingalls: Scotland’s power pop masterminds never really went away, even if they tend to fly under the radar these days. “Everything Is Falling Apart” seems to take cues from the philosophy of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. The soaring harmonies and minor-key riffs serve the song well, with jangly guitars straight out of 1990s college radio that somehow don’t sound dated. They might not be international superstars – depending on your definition of the term – but Teenage Fanclub retain a dedicated fan base and judging from this single, that’s not bound to change anytime soon. [8/10]

John Garratt: The older Teenage Fanclub gets, the more they sound like a Scottish Feelies; miles upon miles of midtempo, dynamically compressed street cred. Granted, the tempo is a little faster here, but if you name your song “Everything Is Falling Apart”, then by god, make it fall apart! [6/10]

Mick Jacobs: I, too, put on a positive air as the surrounding climate deteriorates around me. Based on “Everything is Falling Apart”, I know others do this too. Whereas other songs typically match the heightened anxiety of turmoil, “Everything is Falling Apart” maintains a dry, detached mentality from it all. In such a situation, their detachment feels a bit like a defense mechanism, another quality with which I identify. [7/10]

Steve Horowitz: Oh boy, it’s time to have fun because we are all going to die! That’s the teenage mantra and the Thanatos behind a myriad of pop symphonies, except this time the story is told with the wisdom of age. “Everything is falling apart” could be sung about anytime and anyplace with the conviction that it is true. This band understands that’s no reason not to enjoy life in the here and now. [8/10]

Mike Schiller: As the years pass and Teenage Fanclub’s youthful moniker becomes more and more ironic, the ability that they continue to show to write concise, tuneful indie pop songs becomes more and more remarkable. Despite the departure of Gerard Love, the band’s sound remains consistent, and the world-weary bent of the lyric befits their (our) advancing ages. It’s a little sleepy, sure, but Teenage Fanclub never set out to wow us with flash or explosiveness; rather, it’s another earworm that’ll find its way into your head and stay there until they release whatever their next single happens to be. [7/10]

Jordan Blum: It’s one of those cases where it’s quite competent and a bit enjoyable on the surface, but I’ve heard many things that sound like this, so it doesn’t resonate with me. It’s always good to see the band actually playing the music, though, so I appreciate that. The video complements the unassuming, everyday quality of the music. No thrills to either; just a down to earth offering for the most part, which is why it’s odd that the colored lights at the end (a nice touch) aren’t matched by a more vibrant musical shift as well. [6/10]

RATING: 7.29