Photo: Kyle Dean Reinford

New York jangle-pop outfit Slam Donahue pull off a difficult feat on their new single “Bug in the Sun,” from their forthcoming Hemlock Tea EP: Channeling their growing pains into a catchy three-minute track, the duo of David Otto and Thomas Summerville, find a way to shake off their anxieties about entering adulthood without alienating any age bracket. They manage the trick by keeping a sunny outlook throughout the song, delivering lines like “Twitching like a bug in the sun/ Hoping I don’t hurt anyone” over breezy guitar riffs and tambourine chimes. “Every comfort that I’ve known since I was younger is no longer there for me to lean on,” Slam Donahue told Hive. “This song is about the uncertainty of right now and my inability to escape the forces that keep pushing me forward, all while trying to keep a smile on my face.”