Lagwagon’s Let’s Talk About Feelings stands apart from a lot of its late 90’s skate-punk peers by exploring darker, more introspective themes while avoiding the toilet humor and sexism that dominated a lot of that genre. Joey Cape’s lyrics tackle personal struggles and frustrations, blending vulnerability with sharp commentary. The album’s tight, melodic punk sound is complemented by razor-sharp guitar work, with “May 16” becoming the band’s most beloved song and earning an inclusion into the most iconic of videogame soundtracks (Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater). The story behind it is brutal in it simplicity– lead singer Joey Cape was hungover after a night out at the bars, heard a wedding happening in a park near his house, realized it was the exact wedding that he had been uninvited to due to a falling out with those very friends a few years before, and wrote the entire song in a mere 10 minutes. It’s a fitting background to one of the more iconic skate punk songs of that generation.
Standout Songs: “May 16”, “Change Despair”, “Owen Meaney”, “Love Story”
