Homeschool Embraces Who They Are in Vulnerable 'Just Now' EP
Photo: Nick D'Agostino
Homeschool, born Tom D'Agustino welcomes new beginnings as an independent singer-songwriter with unfettered creative control in their new EP Just Now. After spending the past year experimenting with music and the idea of masculinity, the six-track body of work plays with themes primarily centered around their newfound clarity on their nonbinary identity, acceptance, perseverance, and self-love. D'Agustino weaves genre-bending stylings into self-aware reflections that paint the pain of life with a surprisingly upbeat and humorous brush.
In this exploration of self, the issue of identity, specifically gender identity, Just Now plays with these concepts in real-time, verse by verse and beat by beat. "The bulk of these songs were written as one-off experiments where I tried to really question what it was I wanted out of music and out of my day-to-day experience of life," says Homeschool. "As a nonbinary, genderfluid person, I felt that my biggest obstacle in truly understanding myself was finding permission to express my fluidity to the world but also to myself...that permission has to come from within."
The opening track, "Bound To Be," bluntly acknowledges that Homeschool is more likely to be "pumping gasoline" than becoming a rockstar and that maybe they're "fine with that." The outcome becomes less important than the process, the moments of being alive. "I'm pondering a life," they croon over a makeshift salsa beat and bouncy, muted riffs.
"Loving You To Death" finds Homeschool returning to more vibrant and explosive soundscapes. Where other tracks have leaned into shades of indie folk and anthemic pop rock, the track is upbeat and propulsive, helmed by a driving bassline and a spirited vocal performance. At moments, the track has an almost punk energy, but they also soften some of the jagged edges with dreamy synth textures and a blissful hook. The result is one of their most electrifying tracks that retain Homeschool's powerfully vulnerable songwriting.
"Hanger-on" leans into D'Agustino's introspective side with its musical and lyrical approach as it pivots nicely into shoegaze-tinged sad banger territory. In the song, he examines what it's like to be the "loser in a relationship" and the fear of having nothing to offer. Repetitive chord progressions and looped drum beats weave in and out self-deprecating lyrics like, "I take a lot / And I know I should feel / Grateful, but I'm not." The mood breaks in the chorus, and clarity is restored when they realize they're "more than a hanger-on."
Other memorable tracks include the dance-pop anthem "My Only Enemy" and the alt-banger "Delusional." In the former, Homeschool reminds listeners that being in the present doesn't mean abandoning your past or ignoring the future and that our actions have consequences. In the opening lines of the latter, they confidently embrace their identity and battle society's idea of masculinity, declaring, "The girl inside me is not afraid of what the boy inside me told her."
In the EP's closing track, "Dragging," Homeschool realizes that the only way to shatter the confinement of society's boxes is to leave them behind. In his vulnerable lyrics, D'Agustino tries to reason with a world that denies, or even hates, their very existence, singing lines like, "Is it my waist, is it my face, or maybe you don't like my taste," before ultimately acknowledging the power to own his ever-changing identity. Finally, he belts, "Fuck the cost, I'm dragging myself out of here," putting the dress on, smearing the glitter on his eyes, watching them "shimmer as I cry."
Listen to Just Now below:
