The Get Up Kids

The Get Up Kids emerged as one of the most prominent and impactful acts among the late-'90s second wave of emo groups thanks to their soaring melodies, emotionally direct lyrics, and punk-charged, high-velocity style. Following early singles plus the raw debut Four Minute Mile in 1997, the band delivered the widely praised Something to Write Home About in 1999. In subsequent years their approach evolved toward greater maturity and restraint. Although the group disbanded in 2005, they resumed joint performances by the late 2000s and occasionally returned to recording, issuing the self-released There Are Rules in 2011 and Problems in 2019; the latter revisited the high-energy emo-pop of their formative period while incorporating the added perspective of time.

Comprising vocalist/guitarist Matthew Pryor, guitarist/vocalist Jim Suptic, bassist Robert Pope, and drummer Ryan Pope (younger brother of Robert, who stepped in for Nathan Shay shortly after the start), the quartet formed in Kansas City in 1995. They first appeared in 1996 via numerous 7"s such as Shorty on Huey Proudhon and All Stars on Doghouse Records. The following year brought the Woodson EP and the full-length Four Minute Mile, the latter tracked with Shellac's Bob Weston. These favorably received efforts generated mounting attention within indie rock circles and even prompted overtures from major labels, all of which the band declined. Throughout 1998 the Get Up Kids toured widely alongside the Promise Ring and Jimmy Eat World while issuing additional singles, among them "I'm a Loner, Dottie, a Rebel," later featured on the landmark 1999 album Something to Write Home About. Issued on their own Heroes & Villains imprint in partnership with Vagrant, the record introduced keyboardist James Dewees and channeled the raw drive of the debut into a potent, thoughtful set of deeply reflective and tuneful songs destined to shape numerous subsequent acts; it earned strong acclaim from critics and listeners alike, establishing the Get Up Kids as central figures in the emocore community.

Two years later the band reappeared with the archival collection Eudora and shared stages with Green Day, Hot Rod Circuit, and Weezer. A new studio album, On a Wire, finally arrived in 2002, presenting more minimally arranged and reflective material than the charged emo-pop of earlier releases. The comparatively brighter Guilt Show, their fifth album and third collaboration with producer Ed Rose, surfaced in spring 2004. The live set Live @ the Granada Theater followed a year later, commemorating the band's tenth anniversary. Yet 2005 also brought what seemed to be their concluding run of shows, as the members announced their dissolution around that time; the apparent final performance occurred at Kansas City's Uptown Theater on July 2, 2005. Thereafter the musicians pursued separate endeavors: Pryor with the New Amsterdams and the children's project the Terrible Twos; Dewees with Reggie and the Full Effect; Suptic with Blackpool Lights; and the Pope brothers with Koufax. Rob Pope additionally joined Spoon in 2007.

The split proved temporary, however, and the group reconvened in 2009 to mark the tenth anniversary of Something to Write Home About via a deluxe reissue and supporting tour. Capitalizing on the moment, they composed a full album's worth of fresh songs, which first emerged as a sequence of EPs throughout 2010. The initial release, Simple Science, appeared in April and quickly entered the Billboard charts, confirming the band's enduring fan base. After that EP, the Get Up Kids abandoned their original three-EP concept, merging the remaining tracks with further new material for a complete album instead. The outcome was their fifth long-player, 2011's There Are Rules, issued independently on their Quality Hill label.

Following its release, the band toured intermittently as availability permitted and the members again dispersed. Pryor issued solo albums including Wrist Slitter in 2013 and Memento Mori in 2017; Dewees remained active with Reggie and the Full Effect; Rob Pope continued with Spoon; and Suptic launched Radar State, which also featured Pryor. In 2017 the Get Up Kids regrouped to develop new material, ultimately tracking it at Fire 'N' Ice Studios in Baldwin, Kansas. Polyvinyl Records released the resulting EP, Kicker, in June 2018. The group performed whenever professional and family obligations allowed. Once prepared to begin a full-length, their calendars aligned sufficiently for three weeks of secluded songwriting and recording with producer Peter Katis, with whom they had previously worked on 2002's On a Wire. The album revived the yearning tone of their earliest work while pairing it with themes of parenthood, maturity, and changing eras. Problems appeared in May 2019 through Polyvinyl in North America and Big Scary Monsters in the U.K. and Europe.