The Plain White T’s might be known for their hit single “Hey There Delilah,” but that is certainly not the only music they wrote, and I wouldn’t even say the best.  I have liked this American punk pop band ever since I had heard their (arguably) most famous song in 2005 on the radio, but my favorite album is their 2013 “Should’ve Gone to Bed- EP.”
The EP that was released over three years ago still holds it spot as my favorite because the four songs it contains aren’t simple songs about simple things.  Like most pop bands, they do contain themes of love, but the songs don’t touch on the light nature of love that is often highlighter, or even focus on the darkness of a broken heart.  The EP focuses on aspects of relationships that are real and relatable even to those who have never felt such a deep connection as the characters the band had created to tell the stories.  The songs are meaningful and not simply catchy.
“Should’ve Gone to Bed- EP” contains the songs: “Should’ve Gone to Bed,” “Haven’t Told Her,” “Giving Tree,” and “Helium.”  All of the songs have catchy beats and stories of love that draw in the listeners because they are real stories with little sugar coating or, as is the case in many songs on the radio, partner bashing.  “Should’ve Gone to Bed” tells the story of what can be seen as both a mistake or the beginning of a love affair between a man who calls someone up for a bit of fun, but loses them presumably at the same time.  The lyrics talk about it being a mistake and how he “should have just gone to bed,” because he misses her more now that she’s not there.  “Haven’t Told Her” tells the story of a man afraid to tell “her” that he loves her because he thinks she might leave.  Feelings are a tricky thing, the song expresses, and it can lead to insecurity and pain.  “Giving Tree” isn’t just a children’s book, but instead, the story of a girl taking but never giving, and then leaving the man she had behind.  “I lie in the dead of night and I wonder, whose covers you're between.  And it's sad laying in his bed, you feel hollow, so you crawl home back to me,” the narrator sings.  “If all you wanted was love, why would you use me up, cut me down, build a boat, and sail away?  When all I wanted to be was your giving tree, settle down, build a home, and make you happy?”  Finally, “Helium” is telling the tale of a man who does everything he wants and loves so that when he dies, he can look back and say that he led a good life.
I loved this EP and listened to it on repeat for what must have been a few weeks.  I would highly recommend this EP to any music listener, even if punk pop isn’t their thing.