Lauren West Vocals, Guitar

Andy Porta Drums

Rob Peralta Guitar

Tim Robbins Bass

AmericanPinup

Strange Creatures

Credits

Thanks

UnrealityThat is your mantra, please repeat clearly

Give us a smileFor the whole world to hear and see

All your life you’ve seenThese big, sparkling faces on the screen

And nothing elseHas ever been as interesting

And someday you’ll shine just as brightThe Big Time

And everyone will recognizeThat you never wanted more

You were headed up there all along

Shut up and follow meYou take these orders so endearingly

Who could resistA modern girl with traits like these?

Cash, cowardice, and greedWhoever said there’s something wrong with being

The productOf a well oiled dream machine?

And someday you’ll shine just as brightThe Big Time

There’s nothing you won’t sacrii ice‘Cause you never wanted moreYou make the perfect whore

It should be so easyIt’s what comes naturally

And someday you’ll shine just as brightThe Big Time

“Sheena Easton,” F#m,” and “Strange Creatures” written by Lauren West and Andy Porta. “Special brownies” written by Lauren West, Andy Porta, and andre salazar. “strongbow” written by lauren west, andy porta, and harold beltre. “Superman,” No One Dies,” “Bus Stop,” “Expecting,” “L.F.D.Y.,” “Board-ing House,” “Somewhere in Between,” “Go!,” and “High School” written by Lauren West. All lyrics by Lauren West.

Lead vocals and rhythm guitar by Lauren West. Drums and percussion by Andy Porta. Lead guitar by Rob Peralta. Bass by Seth Nicholson. Additional guitar and other instrumentation by Andy Porta. Backup vo-cals by Lauren West, Seth Nicholson, Andy Porta, and Rob Peralta. Horns on “No One Dies” and “L.F.D.Y.” performed by Frank Huber and Dylan Hume. Harmonica on “L.F.D.Y.” performed by Rob Peralta. The Gang: L-West, Rob-O, Seth Goose, C-Wrecks, Terry, Bread Malarky, and Dennisaurus Rex.

All songs were recorded at Black Cat Studios in White Plains, NY and engineered by Andy Porta, except for the lead vocals which were recorded at Cogent Records in Valhalla, NY and engineered by Jon Manierre. Produced by American Pinup. Mastered by Kyle DiSanto. Artwork by Orrin Hurley. Text, logo, and layout by Diana Salas. Pressed by Affordable Sound. Distributed by Altercation Records, Inc.

Our families: the Porta family, Joe & Bina, the West family, the Murphy family, the Peralta family, Elia & Roberto Flores, the Ramirez family, the Robbins family. Our friends: André Salazar, Seth Nicholson, Chris Cambareri, Stephen Marino, Harold Beltre, Jim Darling, Diana Salas, Travis Myers, Altercation Records, the SB crew, Jon Manierre, Cogent Records, Bo Valentine, Dennis Jones, Mike Stratton, Mike Terry, Kyle DiSanto, Orrin Hurley, Frank Huber, Dylan Hume, Dennis Polanco, Sue Sender, Ben Pasternack, Tapeworm Records, Jason Rigas, Gio Green, Natalie Menendez, Danny Fitz, Mike Hooper, John Casale, Justin Corral, Steve Michas, William Juca, John Hollahan, Will McAndrew, Russell Langloh, Erik Deinstadt, Victor Santos, Patty pAnts, Lauren Minisci, Jon Presser, Adam Sisenwein, Arielle Lapp, Carl, Punk You!, Zedalza NY, Muscoot Farm, Dunne’s Pub, Snapper Magee’s, Nicky’s Pizza, Domingos Deli, Mariachi Loco,The Bridgewater, WesPac (RIP), and everyone who comes out to the shows! Thank you so much for the support! And i inally, many thanks to our brothers and sisters... SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC: The Jukebox Romantics, Tyrhombus Rex, Forever Her Nightmare, The Von Ghouls, Born in a Cent, BoneThrower, The Screaming Bastards, Fools on Sunday, The Pryde, Alpha and C-4, The UN Posse, Acid Westerns, Death First, The Cleavagents, Marissa Feldman, Big Sister, and Driftwood.

I don’t wanna bring you downI don’t wanna waste your timeBut I think that this might actually turn out rightI can see that there’s a chanceBut I can’t seem to hold your glanceAnd I’m too stubborn to sur-render to my past

And I’m not trying to be a painBut I think you got just what I wantI don’t wanna just forget it‘Cause I know that I’ll regret it

I don’t know what to sayWhen you turn your head awayI know that you’re not listeningIt wasn’t that important anyway

I know soon I’ll make you seeWhat you don’t know you’re missingThen I’ll i inally have my happy endingNo, I won’t just leave it be‘Cause it’s too fucking plain to seeThis could turn out to be ev-erything I’ve ever dreamed

And if you would just stop and listenYou would i ind out what you’re missingNow it’s up to me and let me tell youI’m not losing this one

Chorus

I’m not trying to be a painBut I think you got just what I wantI don’t wanna just forget it ‘causeIt’s perfect, it’s perfectAnd if you would just stop and listenYou would i ind out what you’re missingNow it’s up to me and let me sayIt’s perfect, it’s perfect

chorus

Everybody’s going crazyEverybody’s lost their

minds There must be something in

the water‘Cause it’s the Youth Crew

and the Christian RightIn a knock-down drag-out

blackout i ightAnd the Poster Boys and

Cover GirlsAre gonna take over the

world

I’d love to join your little party

But I just can’t get in the mood

Can’t wrap my mind around these stories

Are these things really human too?

I can’t help feeling like we’re being

Robbed of something very key

Carving out our dei initions‘Cause we take the air-

waves at their wordThough both things are

intangible

And wrap ourselves up nice and tight

Inside a womb of buzzing wiresBut through some biological needThe same old tired tales repeat

And I swear that one day I’ll accept

That it was all for nothing

chorus

This change is nothing newThe knee-jerk defense of

a foolTry insecure for onceIt’s honest just not

glamorousThis change is nothing

newYour daily dose of the

new youTomorrow’s a new hat

But any idiot would know that

This change is nothing new

But it’s too late now

You’ve got weapons up your sleeveBut you’re too eager to use them,You abuse them, cruel and careless, mindless battle casualtiesAnd in your darkest hoursYou i ind yourself regret-tingAnd still dreading this ad-diction, this infection that you’re spreadingYou know there is no cure‘Cause each time you cook your i ix you just want more

chorus

It’s hard to get alongWhen the greatest fear you share is being wrong

Since you’ve learned to build a bombIt’s become your favorite hobby

Blowing up these situations ten times greater than they should be

You just can’t help yourselfSo abiding, so inviting

To the tempers that are rising and this heat wave that you’re ridingYou feel no remorseYou can’t ‘cause we’ve been through this all before

This is your expertiseMaking something out of nothingUnaffected, shamelessly poised with your i inger on the buttonYour senses tinglingSo exciting, all this i ighting

Take delight in the spotlight but never mind that it is

blindingYou light the fuse and waitFor this big, dramatic bitch to detonate

You’re letting all these petty

problemsWeigh you downIt’s nice of you to say

you’re sorry

I have to disagreeWith what you’re telling me

I just don’t think you know your stuff

This argument is fakeIt crumbles and it breaks

I think I’ve really had enough

Why don’t you go?

We should go our separate waysBefore this escalates

You know that I don’t wanna i ight

Let’s both just cool our headsAnd give our rivalry a rest

Even though we both know that I’m right

Why don’t you go?

And if all this is for nothingWhy should we both waste our time?

We could argue until morningAnd never change each other’s minds

Go!

Why don’t you go?

What a dayStatic burning through my bitter ears

Worn awayAnd terrii ied I’ve wasted all these years

I don’t know whatI wanna do or what I even can

I don’t know where I want to beBut I know that it’s not where I am

I’ll run away from here And i ind a place to dream at lightning speed

I’ll embrace this fearOr be content with somewhere in between

I’ll run away from hereI won’t go quietly

And I burn

Use my voiceTo let you all hear what I think I know

I’ll make a choiceOr let you all just tell me where to go

It’s okayIf there’s a start there has to be an end

My i iery words need to be heardAnd I’ll never get stuck again

chorus

And now’s the time to let this goTonight’s the night to grab the rope

Today’s the day to hit the roadTonight’s the night to go

chorus

Just keep it simple, that’s all I really want

It’s all I can handle, even it feels like a lot

But nobody raised me to be weak and soI try not to let these complications get

to me

Just keep it classy, that’s all you ever hear

And it’s good advice my dearI’ve seen you embarrassing yourself a few

too many timesIt’s undignii ied

And it’s so easy to fallOut of favor with yourselfAnd it’s so easy to crawl

Right back in the end

Just keep your head down, it’s best for everyone

It helps you to focus on what you need to get done

And nobody has to look each other in the eye

And we can all pretend and no one dies

Keep your composure, keep up appearancesAnd let yourself get lost in it

‘Cause nobody wants to see the face behind the mask

With all that scar tissue and empty eyes of glass

chorus

It’s comfortably familiar, this old faith-ful noise

Digging out my old favorite toysBut no one expects the things they love

to grow a moldPacked away inside damp boxes down below

It seems now all’s repaired and everyone is pleased

And I try to shake the memoryBut it still stings that you just couldn’t

give me the damn dignityOf asking me not to leave

Well these walls have seen and heard a lot of sorrow

This house is where the vicious cycle thrives

It has a bathroom and a phoneBut it’s never been a home

Just a place where parents fuck up their kids’ lives

The woman in room seven shot her husbandHer little daughter’s name was Valerie

As she was hauled away in cuffsShe shouted out, “With any luck,”

“That little girl will grow up to be just like me”

In room six there was another broken familyA young mother left alone with her young

sonHis father went out for a drink

And not a soul has seen him sinceIt’s plain to see their little nightmare’s

just begun

And I swear I’ve seen enough to last a lifetime

I swear that I could just go on and onBut I’ll spare you the details

I know nobody really caresI just had to put it these whispers in a song

And it’s 123This may not be

The prettiest song you’ve heard but pleaseYou gotta listen closely now and then

‘Cause there are stories in these hallsAnd there are faces in these walls

And none of them ever want to come here again

Well the woman in room i ive survived the i ire

She survived the i iood and plague and lightning too

And she never even cried, so I had to turn a blind eye

Every month when we both knew the rent was due

And she said, “Please don’t you do me any favors,”

“I simply can’t afford to pay them back”

And I told her it was freeAnd she just looked at me

And said “Darling, I ain’t never heard of that”

Now her ashes belong to the county

And her boy is a ward of the state

And he’ll grow up somedayAnd drink his life away

It’s a sad but inevitable fate

It’s important that you recognize the cycle

That really is the only crucial part

Don’t you say that it’s geneticI don’t think you really get it

Because you cannot pass down a broken heart

chorus

And that little girl who grew up in room seven

Well she turned out just the way that you’d expect

And to her mother as she diedShe said “Don’t you apologize,”“We know my life would have

already been a mess”

And they found her body i ioating in the bathtub

The makeup was still fresh upon her face

And a brief and simple noteOn the wall in lipstick wrote

“It’s the only way to get out of this place”

chorus

You’re locking yourself in your roomWrapped up inside your tight cocoon

But there’s no metamorphosisJust think of all the things you miss

You bury your head under all these artii icial amuse-ments

Wake up, wake up, hurry upBefore there is nothing left

You’ve done this whole routine before, and I’d go crazyYou gotta soak some more, before you are ready to go

You’re gonna lose yourself or fuse yourself to these four walls

Spending all your time aloneGive me a sign that you are still alive in thereBecause without a knock I really wouldn’t know

I guess it’s easier to stayAll bottled up and locked away

Than to jump into it With all the other living breathing things

Oh it’s so dangerous to let the world come in and change your mind

You’re risking turning intoSomething you don’t recognize

You’ve done this whole routine before, or am I crazy?No closer to the end, and now you are ready to go

You’re gonna lose yourself or fuse yourself to these four walls

Spending all your time aloneGive me a sign that you are still alive in thereBecause without a knock I really wouldn’t know

The movies tell you that it makes things complicatedBut I’ve always said that it’s only a big deal if you make itAnd I’m sick of all the fabricated etiquette it comes with

This time around let’s skip all of the questions and the bullshit

Should I tell all of my friends?Should I bring it up again?

Should I call you on the phone?Or should I just leave it alone?

I’m not the kind of girl you have to mind your manners forI’m well aware of what this is, and I’ve been through it

all beforeDon’t you think this song is yours, you’re no more special

than the restNow that it’s out of my system

I gotta get it off my chest

I’m very sorry if you had other intentionsBut I think my gender may have given you the wrong

impressionWell I wish there was a better way to get rid of this

tensionWe just weave around the topic, ‘cause it’s not something

you mentionShould I move into your place?Should I say this to your face?

Should we start picking names for kids?Or should we just call it what it is?

chorus

Should I give this the time of day?Should we just go our separate ways?

Could this be a pleasant surprise?Or just another waste of time?

chorus

Well according to the experts and recorded historyMaybe I should feel these kind of things a little more

deeplyAnd I try to be affected, try to bring myself to care

For such a sensitive creature, you gotta ask what hap-pened there

YesterdayI saw you at the bus stop

And you were waiting with those wires in your ears

Just like old daysYou still don’t have a car and

I i ind out that this town’s been missing me for years

And as I roll around these streetsThey conjure distant memoriesOf all the hearts I left behind

This town and meWe never really got along

I was a mysteryTo all those people in the halls

And now that I’m backFeeling like a stranger

Doesn’t really feel so strange

Years agoWe had so much in common

Some may have thought we even shared a rib or two

We were the kidsWith matching leather jackets

Smoking, ditching school

But years agoI told you I was leaving

And you just smiled with that ring around your head

You muttered, “whoa”And said “Congratulations,”

“Don’t ever let me see your face back here again”

We swore that we would keep in touchBut swearing never helped us much

And it got easier with time

chorus

Why don’t you cut me some slack?I took my chances coming back

Don’t you not look at me that way

And if it’s too much I can stayI know you’re comfortable that way

I didn’t think that you would mind

chorus

YesterdayI saw you at the bus stop

I knew that it had been too long to say hello

The beeline cameAnd you just climbed right on and

I didn’t have the guts to ask you not to go

You’ve got a mid-life crisis and a baby on the wayYou’ve got a few more seconds left to really seize the day

When they’re up, they’re up and there is nothing left to seeTo ease the blow, you might want to consider therapy

And now your time is running outT-minus nine months, counting down

So tell me what do you do now?This is what they warned you about

You’ve got a growing problem and an interested agencyToo bad that you believed he had a latex allergy

Something’s cooking in your oven and you don’t have a ringBut you know he’s not a man, what are you expecting?

And now your freedom’s running outThis is no time to fool around

That’s how you got in trouble nowThis is what they worried about

You never thought itYou never thought it through...

Well it can happenWell it happened to you...

And two hearts beating like two drumsThe big one and the little one

So sad when they fuck up so youngWhat’s it like to be knocked up?

This is what they warned you about

I am getting oldIt’s very unfamiliarYouth is all I know

And play-dates with dangerPat on the back for getting through

thatIrony, imagine that

This is a common warTimeless, universal

We just want more and moreAnd waste it all resisting

It’s a sad fate to grow jadedAnd it’s a sad fate to be fading

I wanna stay naiveI wanna keep this short and sweet

That whole “live fast, die young” kind of thing

I’m not slowing downAcceloexponential

Each second’s shorter than the lastAnd each day shorter by the secondBut the sky’s still in the same place

And my feet still on the ground

Waiting patientlyQuiet desperation

It’s all so alien to meCruel anticipation

But the sun’s that same old white spotSearing its name in my skin

chorus

I don’t remember ever feeling the world spinningI guess I must be used to it by now

The plot’s supposed to thicken while your hair is thinning

But I’m still offhandedly wasting the hoursAnd I’m pulling clumps of it out in the shower

chorus