While I don't know how popular of a childrens game "I packed my suitcase...?" is in the rest of the world, around here basically every kid knows it and has already been playing it. Somehow, there's a point in your adult life, where you play this child's game all over again, but this time in a real life setting. As you get older, the more shit happens in your life and even if we always say, and rightfully think at some point, that we're over it, we're carrying these experiences with us for the rest of our lives. Just like this fuckin' suitcase.

The members of Garden Home must've experienced some of this adult shit, as their self titled debut album strongly revolves around it. They have however already come to the conclusion that it's best for your own mental health to force yourself into seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. "Good and bad exist alongside and must be experienced in tandem, and it is on us to respond and to grow" they state, while reflecting on the topics of their album.

An album, that is exactly just that: a tandem of self doubt and self confidence, of hopelessness and hopefulness, of surrender and will, of darkness and brightness. Packed with poetic lyrics, that rather stay honest than getting pretentious while perfected by music, that is as fast and driving, as it is melodic and sensitive. Somewhere between the modern, Shoegaze-y form of Post-Hardcore, the more gritty stuff from the 90s and the melodic hardcore of the 2000s, with screamo of all forms, you better just label Garden Home "emotional punk rock" before making it too complicated, or entirely stay away from labeling them. Heck, they were on a bill with the emo band Your Arms Are My Cocoon. They’ve also played with screamo acts like Snag and Frail Body. They were also opening for Modern Life Is War and strangely enough, each and every one of these diverse combos make perfect sense.

Garden Home are that band, they do their own thing, as best as possible. While they continue to succeed in the ears of more fans each day, you can't argue about all the heart they put into these songs.

Be sure to check out their debut album if you missed it on first occassion.

Check out Thumbs Up Records and grab a vinyl if there’s any left!