Draft:Second Hand Embarrassment (song)
| "Second Hand Embarrassment" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Underscores | ||||
| from the album Fishmonger | ||||
| Released | February 2, 2021 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:17 | |||
| Label | Self-released | |||
| Songwriter(s) | April Harper Grey | |||
| Producer(s) | Underscores | |||
| Underscores singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Second Hand Embarrassment" (stylized in sentence case) is a song by the American musician Underscores from her debut studio album, Fishmonger (2021). It was released as the album's lead single on February 2, 2021. Her first solo single since "Trustfall!" in March 2020, the song
Background and release
[edit]"Second Hand Embarrassment" was released as the lead single to Fishmonger on February 2, 2021.[1] The song was Underscores' first solo single in over a year.[2] Its music video was released on the same day.
Composition
[edit]Built off a simple guitar riff, "Second Hand Embarrassment" features a "carefree" tone in its attitude. Brief sections of the song feature more "exasperated" vocals that are higher pitched.[2] It "sheds its acoustics" in its final moments and becomes more pop rock in style.[3] Billie Bugara of Lyrical Lemonade identified this section as "an all-too-satisfying mix of distorted guitars and punk-tinged yells alike."[2]
Reception
[edit]Lyrical Lemonade's Bugara praised the song as Underscore's return to music, stating that "Not only does this mark the return of an absolutely outstanding act in their own right, but the music with it goes above and beyond the once-untouchable standards that they had set for themselves in their career up to this point." He lauded its outro as "exactly what an already-addicting track like this needed in order to put it over the moon".[2] Along with "Kinko's Field Trip 2006", Andrew C. Freeman of the Massachusetts Daily Collegian identified "Second Hand Embarrassment" as "some of the most shining moments on [Fishmonger]."[4]
American musician Chloe Moriondo took inspiration from the song when creating her third studio album, SUCKERPUNCH (2022), stating in an interview with Flood that she "referenced this song a lot for darker feelings/energies I wanted to convey in the album, and I’ll likely continue to reference her music for future projects."[5] The two would later collaborate on a remix to Moriondo's song "Cdbaby<3" on October 27, 2022.[6]
Music video
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Second hand embarrassment - Single by underscores on Apple Music, 2021-02-02, retrieved 2025-06-12
- ^ a b c d BillieBugara (2021-02-05). "Second hand embarrassment - [underscores]". Lyrical Lemonade. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
- ^ "Dozens of Donuts: underscores - fishmonger Review". Dozens of Donuts. 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
- ^ Freeman, Andrew C. "The hyperpop to shoegaze pipeline". Massachusetts Daily Collegian. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
- ^ March, Kim (2022-10-07). "Chloe Moriondo's "SUCKERPUNCH" Inspirations Playlist". FLOOD. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
- ^ Cdbaby, 2022-10-27, retrieved 2025-06-12