First introduced here in 2025 with “Sweet Foxhound,” The House Flies return with a song that feels like finding an old note in the glovebox and realizing it still knows your name. Released today, October 2nd, “Lost Literature” is dark, catchy, and in an odd way sweet, with a restless little heart beating beneath its post-punk appearance. Emerging from Moline, Illinois, this four-member group is able to make the Midwest seem mysterious, romantic, and haunted. Alex Riggen, Burnie Eckhardt, Ozzie Woods, and Nick Pompou sound as if they are driving through the night with the windows down and have a secret they have not yet worked out.
The theme of the “Lost Literature” remains in memory, concerning who we are, who we have been, and the odd gap between the two. The line “And who you are. And who you were” takes on the character of a soft, gentle spell, whereas “A rental car. Lost literature” turns the road into a place where buried emotions can resurface. By going through images such as “highway night”, “low” radio, porchlights, static, and clover, the lyrics tell a tale of leaving, remembering, and attempting to recover the words that have slipped away. The repeated line “It grows and goes on and on” also implies that memory never entirely leaves us.
The way the vocals are used is controlled yet expressive, having a cool and slightly weathered quality that ideally fits the song. There is no need for the singer to raise his voice for the emotion to come across; instead, it is the repetition that does most of the work, especially in the chorus. Although the repeated lines have a simple, almost pop-like appeal, the band leaves the details a bit unclear. The performance has a tight and natural feel, with each element serving the atmosphere rather than displaying technical ability. It is the sort of singing that makes the lyrics sound as if they are thoughts caught between being awake and falling asleep.
It is the instrumentation that gives the song its driving momentum. Upbeat drums maintain the song’s rhythm, and the bassline provides it with a melodic, danceable beat that makes the dark mood appealing. The layered guitars make the influences of post-punk, goth, shoegaze, and grunge clear without making the track seem overcrowded. The production is designed with movement and atmosphere in mind, allowing the repeated chorus to open out the song while the guitars and the low end keep it stable. It has that pleasant characteristic of sounding immediate upon first hearing, before revealing further subtle details with each subsequent listen.
With their album, “Lions and Ore” arriving on November 6, this lead track seems like an ideal way of opening up this new phase. The band has developed from their earlier work on the Glimmer EP and the Mannequin Deposit into a more complete and self-assured group, yet they have still retained their ability to make a simple image seem significant. The song uses a rental car, a radio, a highway, and a few broken memories and transforms them into something warm and strangely beautiful. In the same endearing way that a handwritten note can be endearing, but dark enough to leave a stain on our hearts, “Lost Literature” is a small road song for those of us who have ever missed a version of ourselves.
Listen to “Lions and Ore” on Spotify
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