The Last Post - 1999 (Acoustic Mix) single
Release date: February 13th 2026
Artist Information
- Label: Rock Paper Records
- Genre: Emo Pop
- Hometown: Harrisburg, PA
- RIYL: Dashboard Confessional, The Get Up Kids, Saves the Day, Microwave
Biography
Logan Betz is done being a basement musician. Gone are the days of privately stowing away songs for some kind of epiphanic rainy day when he would realize his worth as a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. The Central Pennsylvania-based artist is now releasing the debut EP, Wayfinder (Rock Paper Records), from his solo project, The Last Post. The googly-eyed pop-punk tune 1999 will be the EP’s first single.
“I feel like I finally found my way,” Betz says. “This record is both the culmination of my journey in music, and the start of my journey. My little teenage heart is super happy I did this—I made up for lost time.”
The 7-song collection conjures the sweet and sentimental sounds of late-1990s/early-2000s emo and pop-punk, but mixes in inspiration from modern pop, pop-punk, and alt-rock. Fans of The Get Up Kids, Saves the Day, Dashboard Confessional, Microwave, Paramore, The Menzingers, and, even, Taylor Swift take note. Something nostalgic and new is coming your way.
Betz came of age at the sugar rush zenith of emo and pop-punk. The music’s earnestly emotive songwriting made an indelible impact on him. He writes open-heartedly about his own mental health struggles, love, relationships, and nostalgia. “I’m a sensitive person, and I’m not afraid to be a little sappy,” he says.
The Last Post is named after a beloved family cabin that shaped Betz’s formative years. It was initially conceived as an intimate acoustic project which is evident on the previously-released single, "Highs & Lows.”
However, Betz envisioned a full-band sound for Wayfinder, and he played the majority of the instruments on the recordings, including drums, guitars, bass, keys, and vocals. Betz co-produced the EP with Logan Summey at Mechanicsburg, PA-based Rock Mill Studio.
Wayfinder compiles all the musical elements that are most meaningful to Betz. There are stripped-down acoustic ballads, energetic pop-punk tunes with screaming, and even ethereal, synth-textured emo.
The EP opens with the adrenalized pop-punk track, “Reckless,” a Saves The Day-styled anthem chock-full of crunching guitars, surging octave melodies, and yearning vocals. “1999” is a nostalgic ode to teenage pop-punk romance, bursting with syrupy harmonies, tenderly plaintive vocals, thick rubbery bass, chiming melodies, propulsive drums, and quickly-strummed acoustic guitars.
Betz sneaks in some clever musicality on the wistful, “Run Away,” a song that swings with a 6/8 beat. “That one is about taking a break from being a responsible adult to hang out with my wife,” Betz shares. He addresses mental health issues on the emo, acoustic-with-band track, “Ready, Reset.” The song features a hypnotic chord progression, breathy vocals, and the poignant refrain: No one should have to work this hard to be happy.
Wayfinder concludes with the reflective ballad, “Last Year,” which features a soaring ending replete with pop-punk screams. “Last Year” is heart-in-your-throat vulnerable with lyrics such as: Can’t believe it’s been a year since you were last here/I get in the truck and I see you, you and me/Just like we used to do/Well, there are bits of you that remain, that have stayed/But it won’t ever be the same.
“I wrote this song about the death of my father. It’s a song about losing someone, coming to terms with that, and wondering if there was more that could have been done or said,” Betz shares. “I wanted there to be an explosion of emotion sonically coming out at the end.”
Outside of The Last Post, Betz is active in the Central PA punk and indie scene playing drums in The Super High-Tech Jet Fighters and in Edgewood. The Super High-Tech Jet Fighters have toured regionally, been featured on Apple Music’s “Breaking Rock” playlist, and the band has most recently performed at The Fest in Gainesville, FL., along with Matt and Kim, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, and Big D And the Kids Table. Betz is also the co-founder of Rock Paper Records which has been active since 2011.
