I Spent The Winter Writing Songs About Getting Better is a verbose album title, matched by the rapid, pop-punk delivery New York outfit Proper brings to each of the album’s sunny fourteen tracks. With no shortage of self-effacing witticisms and complaints about quotidian inconveniences amidst a record-spanning desire for self-betterment, Proper embeds their latest LP with an aspirational philosophy that’s matched by melodic, massive riffs and a breakbeat pace. Never too emo or too poppy, Winter sets realistic expectations for both itself and the listener, a sobering assessment of things as they are; listen below, and see Proper play at Bushwick Public House on January 11th, supporting MakeWar, Pass Away, and In The Meantime. —Connor Beckett McInerney
