The Very Most - Needs Help (2020)

Needs Help is the fifth full-length album from The Very Most, which will be released on October 9, 2020 on Lost Sound Tapes and Kocliko Records. The title comes from the fact that Jeremy, the songwriter/main guy of the band, recorded a bunch of songs that, unbeknownst to him, were outside his vocal range. This required him to recruit a bunch of guest vocalists, including:

- Melanie Whittle (The Hermit Crabs)
- Kristine Capua (Tiny Fireflies)
- Cristina Quesada (Elefant Records solo artist)
- Gerri White (Arts & Leisure)
- Sally Jati (Starry Eyed Cadet)
- Gina Gregerson (Dirt Fishermen/Lovey)
- Sarah Lowenbot (Thee Ahs)
- Ashley Eriksson (LAKE)
- Adam and Darcie
- Eli Moore (LAKE)

Needs Help is also an appropriate title due to its mental health connotations (positive or not). The lyrics deal with everyday anxieties concerning parenthood, faith, fallible memories, internet nonsense, and how hard it is, ultimately, to change your life for the better. There's also a song about getting caught being choked up listening to Automatic For The People in your cube at work for the first time in 25 years.

The music itself falls broadly within indiepop, calling to mind at times Belle and Sebastian, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, or Camera Obscura, but is a bit more experimental and, perhaps, a bit darker than what you might expect from the genre. It includes synth textures, dream-pop influences, the requisite boy/girl vocals, and lush harmonies. It's the culmination of five pretty intense years of effort and it had to get made. We hope people enjoy it.

Thank you to: Sarin, Gia, everyone who played and sang, Jim, Knut, my family (immediate and extended), Antonio, Jon, Indiepop Shop Talk, everyone who’s played in The Very Most over the years, everyone who helped us on tour, and all my friends.