It’s been over five years since we last heard new music from The Great American Novel. Since 2014 the main force behind the band, Layne Montgomery, has been working with other bands like The Romantic Comedy and Layne Montgomery Paper Company. He also composed the theme song to the podcast “Blank Check with Griffin and David.” So he’s been busy, but it was time to return to his roots and get the band back together.

As a longtime fan of everything Montgomery has put out over the years, I was a little bit surprised and a lot excited to hear that new music from The GAN was coming. Naturally, I had some concerns: Would the music still resonate? Could he continue to find the balance between literary nerd and pop melody master? Would the band chemistry hold up after such a long hiatus?

The answer to all is a resounding yes. “Perpetual Emotion Machine” is everything that made The GAN great in the early teens and hopefully continues well into the 20’s. That power-pop vibe that borrows greatly from Montgomery’s favorites, The Strokes and Weezer, can’t be beat when you want a song that is sad but also fun to listen to.

Can’t wait to hear what else these guys have in store for us. Hopefully we won’t have to wait much longer!