Good Terms
Progress

As soon as the guitar and hi-hat kick in the song bring bright beams of sunlight to cut sparkling arcs through the dust floating in the air. They’re calling this hardcore emo, and I can see how this is manifested through the anthemic chorus lines and complex breakdowns.

With ‘Progress’, I’d say there are little resurrected yacht rock flickers on top of the emo parts. That’s not to conjure too much of a comparison, but if you get the detail of that old style you’ll see how it pops up throughout this song.

Lyrically, I love how the song takes us on a plot curve through waves of defeat into something more hopeful. It’s like a therapy session that accidentally got recorded. That’s something Good Terms have done before with their songs.

Every moment in this song brings something new and I love it. This band are flying!

Progress Video

Watch Good Terms – ‘Progress’.

Progress Lyrics

I’ve been so frustrated with myself
I feel my trust fading
It’s not enough lately
I think I’m ignoring my own health
I miss all the warnings
It just gets so boring when I’m not indulging my senses
Every single second
Pleasure is cheap but it sure is expensive
Where is the strength I need to change for good?

Cuz I can’t retreat to the way I used to be
The way I used to see myself versus everyone else
There’s still more of who I was before
And I’m afraid that I’m not gonna make any progress at all

The bedroom packed with gifts I never gave
And the weight gained and the chest pain
Bleed into my days
I’m so easily stained
That I can see the seeds grow into leaves and still not believe this is worth it
It’s growing and working
That I am so much better than the way I was before
Wash me clean
So I can be brand new

Cuz I can’t retreat to the way I used to be
The way I used to see myself versus everyone else
There’s still more of who I was before
And I’m afraid that I’m not gonna make any progress at all

I’m afraid that I’m not gonna make any progress
At all
At all

Wash me clean
So I can be brand new
Wash me clean
So I can be brand new

Cuz I can’t retreat to the way I used to be
The way I used to see myself versus everyone else
There’s still more of who I was before
And I’m afraid that I’m not gonna make any progress

No, I can’t retreat to the way I used to be
The way I used to see myself versus everyone else
There’s still more of who I was before
And I’m afraid that I’m not gonna make any progress at all

Written by Fenton on 24th June 2025

Steve Fenton writes in our music, words, and culture categories. He was Editor in Chief for The Mag and covered live music for DV8 Magazine and Spill Magazine. He was often found in venues throughout the UK alongside ace-photographer, Mark Holloway. Steve is also a technical writer and programmer and writes gothic fiction. Steve studied Psychology at OSC, and Anarchy in the UK: A History of Punk from 1976-1978 at the University of Reading.

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