[Reviewing for version 1.0; I see that a 1.1 was uploaded but I downloaded the game several weeks ago, so if there's anything that's been tweaked in the new version, I haven't seen it.]
"Back in the 90s I was in a dysfunctional punk rock band"
Like others, I think this had some really great ideas, but stumbled in execution, especially when it comes to pacing, some aspects of character development, and its conclusion. I think others already captured most of my critiques, so I'm going to try not to be too redundant.
Spoilers therein.
Getting into presentation first, I think there's some really impressive work here and the effort that was put into this project is readily apparent. I have seen recording rock songs for VNs go very poorly before, but I was surprised as to how well done the tracks were for this game, especially on such a short timeframe, so top marks to the music contributors. That said, as others have pointed out, the lyrics didn't always match up with the song in the sort of impromptu lyric music video at the end and I will always advocate against playing songs with lyrics while there's other text on screen. I have a very hard time focusing on reading while there are other words playing and I know some others have similar issues, but thankfully those moments didn't last very long for this VN.
Elsewhere in the VN, music did feel a little inconsistent at times, with some moments being a bit sparse in sound, and while I thought the piano-focused tracks were fine they did at times feel out of place in situations like a band rehearsal. I do want to give credit to the way you modified the acoustic riff to create a musical throughline though, that was a nice touch.
Visually, I think the sprites look solid, though Curtis seems to look a bit more like a dog with antlers than a deer. He looks much more cervine in the CGs though. I made a similar comment for Nepenthes, and I think this is the same sprite artist so that tracks, but maybe it's a personal issue since no one else seems to have a problem with it. I do wish we got a couple different expressions for the sprites since Curtis' reserved, coy smile doesn't translate well to the more intense scenes, but I get that it's a jam and you're under a lot of limitations. Punky opossums are also one of my most severe weaknesses so you get one (1) bonus point for Ashley.
Moving into writing, I think "90s rock retrospective" is a really fun and interesting idea, but as others have pointed out, the breakneck pacing of the VN from '93 onward zooms past a lot of character interactions that could have really bolstered depth and development. It kinda reads to me like you spent a ton of time fleshing out '92, then realized how quickly deadlines were approaching and rushed to get to the end of where you were trying to go. Outside of a jam environment, I think fully developing the intervening years, including Everett's relationships with Pat and Ashley, the resolution (or not) with his parents, and his transition into 9 to 5 after the record store closing would add a lot to his character since these things are glossed over or dropped in 93-94.
This all plays into a bigger issue where Everett doesn't feel fully developed as a protagonist. Outside of being gay, playing guitar, and feeling unfulfilled, which is all established almost immediately, we don't really get much else about him other than his various reactions to Curtis. He's still better off than Pat and Ashley, who are practically just set dressing, but it seems like there's something missing from his arc when so much of what we get from him is "reactive" if that makes sense (I'm really not sure it does, lol).
Before I get to the ending, some other miscellaneous things that I noticed:
- Curtis' characterization as British seemed a bit off to me, and I'm not sure what this added to the story. I did not exist yet in 1992, so maybe fashion trends were different at the time, but I'd probably associate excessive union jack wearing with not being British more than the other way around. I also felt a bit of a disconnect with Curtis being so aggressively anti-"the Man" while being in the US for work. I get that 92 is still a few years before IIRIRA and coming over was less of a mess than it is now, but I found Curtis' visceral distaste for Everett having an office job a little odd considering presumably he was doing the exact same thing.
- When Curtis introduced himself and self-described as something along the lines of "not good at chords, but plays leads", my mind reflexively translated that as "I suck". I think there are one or two other moments where it's implied he's not the greatest guitarist, but I'm not sure if that was intentional or not.
- I think the attempt at a parallel between Everett "selling out" to work an office job and Sam making money selling drugs was a little half-baked. I see what you were going for, and I think "everyone is just trying to get by" is an interesting angle to pursue, but working in a cubicle and dealing heroin still seems a bit like a false equivalency when it's handled at such a superficial level, and the characterization (albeit this could have just been Everett's opinion) of Sam as a smarmy asshole earlier in the story didn't help much either.
- "For a musician, he's not very athletic" - maybe it's just me, but in bands I've played in or been around, being athletic is a bit of an anomaly so this line gave me a curious head tilt. Experiences vary, I guess.
Finally getting to the ending, like several others, the Black Mirror Bullshit didn't really work for me. If you were really committed to making this work, I think you'd have to make it a framing device with Everett popping out of the simulation after each segment and having interlude conversations with Mikey or a therapist or something. This would certainly help ease the pacing of the final recap ("oh by the way we got back together with Pat and Ashley and we were all super successful and Mikey and I got married and all that was great" is kinda wild to cover over the span of a few sentences), but I think instead of jumping ahead to the current year it would be better to cut the memory tech entirely and have a "1996" chapter where Everett recovers from his injuries and gets some help from Mikey, Pat, Ashley, and/or a mental health professional to move past his experiences and lack of resolution with Curtis (I think Bowser may have been getting at something similar in the comment below mine).
Overall, good ideas and some really solid music, but also needs some adjustments on the narrative front to really take it to the next level.