There’s just something missing for me and I don’t know what… It has nothing to do with the fact that you’re short, and it has nothing to do with the fact that you’re not bright enough, and it has nothing to do with the fact that your teeth are in bad shape… The relationship isn’t going anywhere. — Nancy to Fielding Mellish in Bananas

With ‘Stagnant,’ Family Dinner takes on that most dreaded of all relationships, more feared even than the soul-devouring Long Distance Relationship, the relationship that isn’t going anywhere. These things are expected to move – up, down, out to the suburbs or maybe to Bushwick. Anywhere but here. If you’re not swiping right, you’re swiping left.

It probably helps if the participants actually like each other. My wife and I can spend hours doing nothing together because we enjoy being together. The narrator of ‘Stagnant’ would rather do nothing alone than do something with their so-called partner.

don’t wanna wake up till the rain dries
face pressed in the pillow
let the day pass by
but i don’t wanna wait for you
i don’t wanna waste my time

‘Stagnant’ drifts to the pop side of dream pop, overlain by folky guitars and underlain by a rhythm section that begs to rock. There’s a wonderful sense of melody at play, delivered by a beautiful voice that someone had the sense to leave unburied beneath the mountains of reverb that one typically expects in these situations. Listen for the guitar’s lone C-sharp that pokes its head above the mix, a riff in a single note.

Based in Long Beach NY, Family Dinner comprises Natalie (vocals), Sam (bass), Nick (drums), and Michael (guitar). Today’s song appears on their new double-sided single, August 14 // Stagnant. And… that’s about all I can tell you about Family Dinner. They seem to have gained some traction, appearing in the Long Beach area several times over the last year. We look forward to hearing more from them in the future.

Family Dinner’s music is available on Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music. And be sure to follow Family Dinner on Instagram and Facebook.