We've all screwed upâscrewing up is a part of life. But while it might feel like everything is terrible in the midst of a personal disaster, it's not all badâbeing able to fully, shamelessly indulge in music about what a screwup you are almost makes whatever mistake you made worth it. Few things feel as good as listening to a song that completely understands you at a point in your life when it feels like no one understands. And if you ever need the perfect soundtrack to put on full volume while your world comes crashing down, your search starts and stops with Iron Chic.
The Long Islandâbased melodic punk outfitâformed from the ashes of the relentlessly optimistic Lattermanâblasts out songs that perfectly capture those moments when you realize everything is falling apart and it's probably your fault. But their tunes aren't for the wallowing sad-bastard types. Despite the consistent forever-bummed attitude in the lyrics, Iron Chic's music is as anthemic and uplifting as it is self-deprecating, carrying the banner for everyone who's got nothing left to lose.
On both their latest album, The Constant One, and their 2010 release, Not Like This, Iron Chic have plenty of "been there, done that" pep talks to remind you that the most important thing you can do is just keep going. So the next time you find yourself cursing your own name, take a deep breath and bring Iron Chic along for the rideâtheir songs, and the life lessons found within, have helped me out more than the entire self-help section on Amazon.com. If you need the CliffsNotes version, here are just some of the most important life lessons I've learned (or at least reestablished) while listening to Iron Chic.
1. "Things get weird/you just have to deal with it." This is the number-one truest statement ever made. Things do get weirdâsometimes it's your fault, sometimes it's notâbut regardless of how or why it got weird, the only thing you can do is deal with it (insert justinbeibersunglasses.gif here). I've wasted so much of my life trying to figure out why things have gone wrong versus just figuring out a way to make them better, and I'm guessing you probably have, too. But the sooner you realize that weirdness is here to stay, the sooner you can figure out how to adapt and keep being awesome despite it.
2. "Taking things too seriously/that's a motherfucking time bomb/so bite the bullet and take a breath/look at me, I'll be laughing to death." And speaking of dealing with the weird shit, don't forget to keep a sense of humor about it. You fucked upâso what? We all do! Laugh it off, as much as possible, because you know who else took things too seriously? Shia LaBeouf. He took things too seriously, and look what happened after he infamously got caught up in the middle of that recent plagiarism scandal. Instead of admitting he messed up, apologizing, and laughing about the fact that he was such a turd, he retreated into "serious artist" mode and tried to save face by sitting in a room with a paper bag over his head, crying whenever strangers took it off. Don't Shia LaBeouf it, okay?
3. "Keep pushing forward/without understanding/with no way of knowing/which way I am going." And now that you've accepted your state, here's what you do: You keep going. This particular lyric is from "Don't Drive Angry," one of my favorite songs on the new album. Erica Freas of RVIVR co-sings, and if it were possible to have sound tattooed on the brain, this verse would go right on top of my limbic system. So you've hit rock bottom. Okay. Fine. Stop dwelling on what got you there, and get the fuck up and keep going. You don't have to have a plan, no one's asking you to promise that everything will work out better this time, just (period) keep (period) moving.
4. "We were singing 'Hey Jealousy'/we drove through town and let the cops chase us around." The lesson to take away here is: Listen to more Gin Blossoms. Nothing bad can come from listening to more Gin Blossoms.
5. "I know this world is a terrible place/at least it seems that way, even on a good day/we'll make a new one with our own two hands/no one else is gonna do it for us." And there it is, the final lesson. You might be a fuckup, but ultimately you're all you've got. Sure, writing off the whole world as being terrible can be a pretty cynical outlook, but that's why you surround yourself with the world you want to see. And my world is filled with the wisdom of Iron Chic. 
