“You ever just wanna say ‘fuck modesty’ and make out with someone while the world watches?”
That’s the intriguing question posed by Milwaukee band Sure Thing (styled “sure thing”) and its debut single “PDA Now.” But before the public make-out session begins, we have to tackle another question: Who, exactly, is sure thing?
Glad you asked. sure thing is the new indie/synth-pop project of Milwaukee musicians Casey O’Brien and Stephen Strupp. A poet by day, O’Brien previously made music with “all-girl, punk rock, holiday jam band” Cinnaminiatures. Strupp, meanwhile, is a familiar name in Milwaukee music for his years spent with stellar indie outfit Sat. Nite Duets, as well as the excellent Soda Road. Put them together and you get…well, let’s just listen to the song. It’s fantastic. It gives off chilled Rentals vibes. The chorus goes “I’m into PDA now / I’ll kiss your teeth in a crowd / And when our friends are around / They feel weird but I don’t know how to stop.” Haha, that’s great. Commence those public displays of affection!
“‘PDA Now’ was originally written by O’Brien as a sweet, bubblegummy love song,” the band explains, “but when Strupp heard the demo, he heard something compulsive: a person being incapable of controlling their infatuation. So, the production darkened and a new bridge was written to better suit it. In the end, it’s still a love song but it’s more human-girl-compelled-by-vampire than it started. It’s more Joe-Goldberg-across-the-street.”
The song comes from sure thing’s self-titled debut album, set to be released March 22. The record was written and recorded between late 2019 and 2023, and takes inspiration from “all the main pop girlies, the contemporary cool guy producers (James Blake, Justin Vernon, George Daniel), WHY?, and David Bazan.” If “PDA Now” is any indication, it’s gonna be a winner. We can’t wait. [continues increasingly uncomfortable and borderline inappropriate public make-out session]
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