Brighton four-piece Had Sandy have released their new single “I Hate My Parents And I Wanna Learn How To Swim” through Sugar-Free Records, turning teenage frustration and nostalgia into a burst of DIY emo.

The track reaches back toward the impassioned sound of second-wave emo, with Sunny Day Real Estate, Texas Is The Reason and Mineral among its reference points. Had Sandy initially formed around a shared love of Tigers Jaw, particularly their use of keys, before incorporating heavier influences including Citizen, Title Fight and Drug Church.

Despite its wonderfully dramatic title, “I Hate My Parents And I Wanna Learn How To Swim” isn’t actually about hating your parents. Vocalist and guitarist Jude Allenby describes the name as an attempt to capture the mindset of a misunderstood teenager, while the lyrics deal with fitting in, smoking cigarettes and navigating conflicting feelings within a relationship.

It is also one of the earliest songs written for Had Sandy. The track began when drummer Elliott Scambler approached Allenby with a drumbeat he wanted to build around. Within roughly 20 minutes, the song had taken shape. Bassist Louis Tong came up with its eventual title later during a drive to a show at Brighton’s Green Door Store.

That spontaneous process fits the band’s wider DIY approach. Allenby handles engineering, mixing and mastering, while nearly everything besides the drums was recorded in the Brighton basement flat he shares with keyboardist Natasha O’Flynn. O’Flynn also creates most of Had Sandy’s merchandise and artwork.

Alongside Tong and Scambler, the four musicians have built Had Sandy around the same youthful immediacy captured by their new single. “I Hate My Parents And I Wanna Learn How To Swim” may look backward at adolescence, but its frantic guitars, keys and emotional urgency make those feelings sound very much alive.