Routine Maintenance

Originally released in 2019, Routine Maintenance, the second full-length (and second in the Aaron West trilogy) from Dan Campbell (frontman of Philadelphia pop punk legends, The Wonder Years), is a character study conducted through music.

Picking up where the first instalment of the trilogy, 2013’s We Don’t Have Each Other, leaves off, the album follows Brooklyn-native Aaron West as he formed his band (The Roaring Twenties) and travels across America, playing shows and meeting folks along the way. The album plays like a slice of life glimpse at America and a haunting interpretation of one’s purpose in it.

According to writer Hanif Abdurraqib, Routine Maintenance is the richest and most layered of the Aaron West albums from a standpoint of sound. The horns and small vocal choirs burst through with clarity. And the singer/songwriter vibes give way to more revival-like Americana songs, taking advantage of the full band and evolving their sound.

With the final instalment of the trilogy and a new tour on the way in 2024, Routine Maintenance is the bridge between the freshness of hurt and despair and the acceptance of suffering and recognition of one’s flaws and responsibilities in the world.