Watashi Wa – I Am

For most bands, a twenty-year gap between their commercial peak and a new single would require a lot of explaining. For Watashi Wa — or more precisely, for Seth Roberts — it requires almost none at all. The music has simply never stopped.

Roberts built Watashi Wa into one of Tooth & Nail's most beloved acts across two albums in the early 2000s, then kept making music without pause — as Lakes, as Eager Seas, as a touring member of punk institution MxPx. The 2022 return to Watashi Wa delivered a warmhearted, melodically rich record, but in many ways "I Am" is a true return to form.

Closer in spirit to The Love of Life than anything Roberts has written since, it's unabashed power pop at its most precise. The title, of course, is also the literal translation of the band's name, Watashi Wa, into English.

The single drops in the midst of Watashi Wa's tour with long-time friends Anberlin and Emery on a 20-date tour, three former labelmates on stage together. For the first time.