The Continuing Struggle Of... - EP

The flagship band of what could best be called the Tarquin Records Collective (a group of over a half a dozen different bands based around the talents/recording studio of brothers Peter Katis and Tarquin Katis), the Philistines Jr. are perhaps the most "serious" Katis group. Known for injecting a heaping helping of extreme silliness and juvenilia into well-crafted, guitar-based indie rock and punk, Peter and Tarquin (and drummer Adam Pierce) here take a more introspective, melancholy approach, in the process creating their most timeless album. The Continuing Struggle of..., the first Philistines record to make its appearance on CD, is a semi-autobiographical concept record which explores the emotional tumult experienced when attempting to pursue non-traditional professions while relying on parents for financial support. Although it may seem hard to feel sorry for able-bodied grown men living and playing music in Mom and Dad's basement, on The Continuing Struggle of..., the Philistines Jr. manage to avoid whininess. Amazingly, on this, their most personal album, the Katis brothers touch a universal nerve by intensely focusing on their own feelings of inadequacy.