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Figures of Speech

by Great Expectations

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Our full length album of 11 songs. Comes in a crisp digipack case (made of sturdy cardboard). Artwork by Bren Mosser (IG:brentmosser).

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    Get all 6 Great Expectations releases available on Bandcamp and save 30%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Gegen die Wand, Figures of Speech, A Reason, great.expectations, Great Expectations, and Take What You Give Me. , and , .

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1.
Days go by faster, when they're wasted When you're out of touch, by choice Cause you don't want to admit That you haven't been feeling the best –  That it's getting harder to get some rest. Could this be the time that I break it? Pay the cost of convenience that's weighted, That I never could afford At the expense of my self-preservation. New habits can be hard to make, With the old ones taking up so much space Like dead leaves on the trees in front of your house That the city forgot to cut down. Could this be the time that I break it? Pay the cost of convenience that's waited, That I never could afford At the expense of my self-preservation.
2.
I lost my breath It's been gone since last September Crumbled like a leaf between your fingers, And I doubt I'll be needing it back. Hold it tight Locked up until December, Enough time to help you remember What it feels like on your lips. Ya I don't need my breath Cause I only speak in whispers With my lips pressed up to your ear. Filled with pet names and sweet nothings, And secrets I don't dare speak too loud For fear they might be true.
3.
Burdened 03:25
You look like you're a wreck,  And I'm not talking about the way you're dressed. It's written in the lines of your face, And when I read them they say You've been crying yourself to sleep again. How naïve was I to think That things might be different with me, That getting better might last Longer than a week? I bend and break, But I always hold my shape. So don't be afraid to give me some weight when you need to –  It'll never be a burden when it's for you. You look like you're worn out From day after day on repeat. I doubt I can change much but at least, A promise is better than nothing. I bend and break, But I always hold my shape So don't be afraid to give me some weight when you need to –  It'll never be a burden when it's for you.
4.
A Reason 03:34
I can smell, smoke On the hoodie that you lent me. Usually that'd bother me, But it's easy to ignore when it's yours. Do I really need a reason To want to be with you this often? Some things are better left unprocessed – Let's just leave this like we found it. It's too big for you, But just right for me. I'll 'accidentally' keep It in my back seat And give myself, an excuse To bring it back to you. Do I really need a reason To want to be with you this often? Some things are better left unprocessed – Let's just leave this like we found it.
5.
Sore Throat 02:45
I wake up, coughing with a sore throat. This happens every winter, But this year I seem to be getting sicker Than I ever have before. It makes it hard to want to stay here, Where I grew up in Michigan. Even though we're not that far north, The days get dark so early. Second chances turn into thirds. Half-formed ambition begins to sound absurd. You're waiting to be convinced when you've already made your choice, But it's never quite enough – you're left wanting more. Will you bring me Orange juice and vegetable soup? To help me feel better as I watch TV in bed Illegally streamed – Comcast might yell at me. Sick at twenty-three, Without my mom to take care of me :'(
6.
Never have I ever Drank my parents' liquor After beer and gotten sicker, Just to break the rules. I wonder what I'd remember And what I wouldn't If I had, If I'd taken your advice. If I'm being honest, I miss it. But does it matter if it's not enough To call you up for old time's sake And talk about our teens while we're acting out our twenties? The eleventh of November You told me to make a wish, But when I told you what I'd wished for, I broke the magic. If I'm being honest, I miss it. But does it matter if it's not enough To call you up for old time's sake And talk about our teens while we're acting out our twenties?
7.
Self-inflicted wounds cut just as deep, Even those that never break the skin –  you should know as well as I do. I'm starting to regret Things I know I never wanted Just to wash this taste out. Will you please help me sweep All this broken glass up That I created with my shaking fingers With my shaking fingers That shake the page as I try to read myself to sleep. I'm starting to regret Things I know I never wanted Just to wash this taste out. Will you please help me sweep All this broken glass up That I created with my shaking fingers
8.
The merry go round was never as exciting as it seemed. I rode the lion, but it didn't go up and down –  It just went round. At speeds too slow to inspire my young, ambitious heart, Full of desires and dreams Beyond the ones my parents had for me. They smile back at me every three-hundred-and-sixty-five degrees. It wouldn't be the last time that I followed their lead.
9.
Stadium lights, trick our minds Into thinking that it's still daytime. An unspecified need, keeps us going Through weary eyes and a sinking feeling That tomorrow will be as bad as you fear. What are you afraid of the most? The thoughts that you'll have Or the ones that you won't Rational or not, they all wear you down the same. I snooze my alarm As much as it lets me, Even though it won't help this routine feeling, And I tell myself 'tonight will be the night.' What are you afraid of the most? What you have to endure Or what you put yourself through Rational or not, it all eats you away.
10.
Comfortable 04:12
I spend most of my time in one of three places A daydream, my bedroom, or touching you. We're creatures of habit, And I'd rather embrace that than understand it, But I see reasons why I might want to change that. But it's so comfortable, putting it all off until Sunday again. Do you envy the same things that I do? An ignorance that lets you think everything's going to be alright I spend most of my thoughts on one of three questions: Did I do this to myself? Can I fix it? Has it always been this way? Like a comforter too thin to keep you warm, I always seem to ask for more. As soon as I think I've had enough, I just start putting it all off... Do you envy the same things that I do? An ignorance that lets you think everything's going to be alright?
11.
I don't have the words that you deserve. My tongue got tied, Trying to combine What I think you need to hear With what I can bring myself to say. I want you to feel like you're worth it, And know it never was your fault, But it's too hard to get across And you're too set on thinking that your entire being is wrong. I don't know if talking is always the best approach, But I'm afraid that if we don't I won't have a way to show you that I care. I want you to feel like you're worth it, And know it never was your fault, But it's too hard to get across And you're too set on thinking that your entire being is wrong.

about

recorded at High Bias Recordings in Detroit, MI, January and March 2018
mastered by Casey Cavaliere

album art courtesy of Brent Mosser

engineered and mixed by Austin
all lyrics by Brandon
all sick drum parts and Game Boy® sounds by Billy
all song arrangements and production by Great Expectations

thank you to Chris Koltay who let us make a record at his place and made us really good tamales, and didn't even care all that much when Bran broke that really big bottle of whiskey on accident in his kitchen.

shout out to Miller High Life for feeding us

credits

released July 31, 2019

Brandon McDole – Vocals, Guitars, Percussion, Songwriting

Billy Pompey – Drums, Vocals, Synths, Piano, Tracker Programming, Percussion

Austin Stawowczyk – Bass, Vocals, Guitars, Octave Guitar, Banjo, Kalimba, Percussion, Claps, Smash Mouth vocal effects

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Great Expectations Detroit, Michigan

Brandon wrote a song. Austin sang along. Billy hit a gong.

Detroit + Ann Arbor

Booking at greatexpectationsmi@gmail.com

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