Forgive Durden

Downtrodden! Fortune-seekers! Princes! Prodigals! Meet your fates; meet your futures – Forgive Durden brings you Wonderland, released May 9, 2006 on Fueled By Ramen Records.
The follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2004 EP, this is the band’s full-length debut, but Wonderland is not just a compilation of eleven songs; it is a world and way of life, a social criticism and commentary. Created by lead singer/guitarist Thomas Dutton and lead guitarist Thomas Hunter, Wonderland is a shimmering metropolitan landscape basking in success and power but driven by insatiable greed and corruption.
“I would take the bus to downtown Seattle and see all these businessmen with their Wall Street Journals and their Blackberries,” explains Dutton. “Thomas and I wrote an over-the-top sarcastic song about these types of people. The next song we wrote was more about me and the band, and how touring and dropping out of school to follow our dreams rendered us ‘better’ people than those sitting on the bus with their Wall Street Journals.” The concept eventually blossomed into an entire album’s worth of material complete with a cast of characters – the deity and creator of Wonderland; curious newcomers; fallen and debased residents; and a young man determined to eschew the money-driven tactics of Wonderland.
After sharing the stage with such acts as Gatsbys American Dream, This Providence, Rory, The Higher, June, Lydia, and Panic! At the Disco, the new album was showcased at outings with The Matches, Gatsbys American Dream, a sold out UK tour with Panic! At the Disco, and several dates on this summer's Warped Tour.
Wonderland signifies an ultimately mature turnaround for the band (Dutton, Hunter, bassist Jesse Bauer, and drummer Andy Mannino), as the album exhibits clever and entirely original lyricism and instrumentalism, as well as Dutton’s versatile vocals. Narration is depicted from a multitude of perspectives, all leading to the same eventuality. The corruption of the creation is mourned – “They’ll carry ten times their weight/If it means landing the deal/They’ll eat what’s not on their plate/If it means a full meal,” and as the story progresses, each song builds tonally and lyrically to the frenzy and desperation of the conclusion, conveying the developing urgency and hysteria (“I want to sink my teeth into/Skin I can’t see through/I’ll clench my jaw deep down inside/Lick my lips hoping to find/A taste of life with you”); anguish and fear (“Please save me from this dream/It’s only a fabrication/This place is all in my head”); and final warnings (“Despite all maps and borders/And all the wars and globes/I’ve been led to uncharted lands/Forget your compass and scars/This world will tear you apart”). In the end, the sad and inescapable conclusion is stripped down and gravely delivered – “No matter how far we go/There’s no escaping the glow/We’ll take our seats at the throne/Wonderland is now our home.”
The vision in Wonderland lies in the impact of its metaphor – this is the world we live in. “The message that I hope comes through with our record is just to ask questions,” says Dutton. “People just need to not be afraid to question their own beliefs and our society’s beliefs. Our record in no way provides the answers to all the problems that we bring up. The answer isn’t necessary.”
Exploration lies before you; the journey lies before us all – so starch your collars, press your slacks…and welcome to Wonderland. You have lived here your whole life.