Potentially Egregious Error: An Outlier of Emo

Juniper Wolff

Music Journalist

Potentially Egregious Error, most known as P.E.E., is an anomaly of an indie emo band from the ’90s. Their 1996 freshman album, “Now, More Charm and More Tender,” is one of the more unique projects that came out of the second wave emo scene. Sporting a very interesting band name and album cover, P.E.E. uses its distinctive, stand-out nature to continue growing in popularity decades after the band’s split. P.E.E.’s freshman album best defines their unique, mathy take on indie emo.  

What songs stand out? 

Several songs from P.E.E. not only stand out from the rest of their discography, but from emo as a whole. P.E.E.’s most popular song, Ihop, hosts a chorus of mathy hooks, funny lyrics, and twee inspired vocals. The chorus is entrancing and addictive. On the downside, the track length is relatively short for how enjoyable the song is. Another song that stands out from the rest is “I Hate All Vegetables.” Tonally, the song is lackluster and a bit of a filler track for the 19-track album. What stands out is how it pays homage to one of its inspirations, Heavy Vegetable. In the track, some of the lyrics mentioned how they hate all vegetables except for one, their muse, Heavy Vegetable. The last track I wanted to highlight is Plankton, which uses some original methods of vocals. Towards the end of the track, they gargle water, almost to break up the track in two, and catch the listener off guard.  

Are the lyrics any good? 

Emo as a genre is widely regarded for its piercing guitars, screaming vocals, and impactful lyrics. However, P.E.E. takes a different approach. Over the course of the album, they keep a lighthearted lyrical tone contrary to the overly serious vocals of the ’90s emo era. Some lyrics that stand out are “You think I worship you, but I just think you’re strange” and “When I’m older, I’ll make better friends Mom, when I turn 35, you can holler.” Although I’ve been harping on how the lyrics are comedic in nature, they still hold true to traditional emo lyrics. Some of these more traditional lyrics are seen on the sixth track, Treed. “Take a deep breath and straighten my spine, telling myself I made a mess of it this time.” Overall, throughout the project, the lyrics talk about relationships, childhood stories, and inspiration from other artists. 

What makes them different from any other 90’s emo band? 

Unlike other famous emo projects from the time, such as “Diary” by Sunny Day Real Estate, P.E.E.’s songs rarely reach over 1:30 in length. For being a 27-minute-long album, the abnormally high track count of 19 stands out. Emo as a genre typically pulls on the heartstrings of fans who listen to it. P.E.E., on the other hand, doesn’t take itself too seriously. Flaunting titles such as “I Hate All Vegetables” and “Andee Wants To Impregnate Me With One Half Of Uncle Tupelo,” P.E.E. couldn’t care less about how they present themselves. This is the embodiment of emo: not caring about what other people think and being one’s true self.  

All things considered, P.E.E. sticks to emo tradition while still pushing the boundaries of what can be considered emo. Their unique band name helped develop their fanbase 19 years later. The project may not be perfect, but P.E.E. stands out from the rest. For fans of P.E.E., some other similar artists to check out are Eldritch Anisette, The Lazarus Plot, and Jejune.