This past August marked a full decade since we’ve heard from Philly’s short-lived emo outfit Marietta, though an Instagram reactivation earlier this year teasing a reunion set at last month’s Best Friends Forever fest wasn’t their only big news of 2025. The band’s co-vocalist Evan Lescallette will be releasing his debut solo album as Home Star in January, with A Binding Life coming together over the course of seven years as the songs expanded to take the form of a full band’s sound (Lescallette recorded all of it himself aside from the drums). “These songs are an embrace of my earliest musical influences and a return to a sound and genre that rings most true to me as an artist,” he shares. “These songs were written throughout a significantly transitional period of my life. Interested listeners may hear themes of change, shame, family, love, fear, anxiety, patience, and acceptance.”
A number of these concepts come through in the record’s final single ahead of its release this week: “Winner” balances ripping pop-punk guitar solos with lyrics about the ever-relatable scenario of finding yourself eating alone in a crowded public space generally designed for socialization. “I wrote this song quickly after a trip to the mall which involved eating alone in a crowded food court,” Lescallette shares. “It’s about feeling like a loser. I always knew that it would be the album opener. I tried to convey some desperation through the guitar hook that I hope comes through for the listener.”
Check out the digicam music video for the track below, and pre-order A Binding Life here via Born Losers Records.
