Philadelphia-based JANK’s debut LP is as full
of pop culture references as it is a musical delight to listen to, which makes
for an album honestly irreverent in every sense of the word. Sometimes the
formula works and sometimes it doesn’t but most times it works, and by it works
I mean prepare for a Cap’n Jazz, Unicorns and Fang Island infused emo ride
unlike anything you’ve heard this year.
Bands who don’t take themselves seriously in the pop-punk, emo scene aren’t far from being a novelty; as a matter of fact, it’s one of the genre’s trademarks and sadly, that often results in some sort of Spartan band battle to see what band comes up with the campiest cringe-worthy line. What happens is that ironically, many bands are so concerned with not taking themselves seriously that they become a parody of what they were trying to achieve in the first place and the line between what is funny and what is eye-rolling renders pretty damn blurry, pretty damn fast.
Saying Awkward Pop Songs is free of these faults would be a lie but saying those moments detract from the quality of the music presented on the majority of this album would be an even bigger lie because these guys definitely can put together some catchy, jazzy, brisk-paced songs with great skill. In terms of musicianship JANK are a true rarity in the genre because not only do they replicate the sound of their Kinsella inspired influences with wonderful craftiness but they also add some very welcomed variety to the mix by including some moments of pop-rock unpredictability that bring to mind acts like The Unicorns and Fang Island in a very good way.
The guitar work throughout the album is fantastic; it sounds fuzzy, dynamic, math-rock-ish and it’s got just the right dose of reverb. The drumming is very good; actually it’s more than very good, it’s surprisingly great for the genre, especially on tracks like “Caitlyn” and “Kentucky Castle”. The production is definitely one the album’s positive notes too; everything sounds clean and crisp, the vocals are good, the bass sounds fantastic and everything seems neatly put together despite how chaotic things get at some points; let’s call it a beautifully controlled chaos.
The lyrical department makes this album stand out among countless bands out there desperately trying to do what JANK do so naturally here: being genuinely funny most part of the times; and how did they manage that? Simple, a taste for sharp pop culture and daily life observations many bands lack and a sense of sometimes head-scratching yet utterly laugh-inducing wackiness that keeps things entertaining pretty much all the way through.
From the very opening track’s title, it is plain to see what you’re about to find here: lots of funny observations and clever oddities that provide most of the songs with real charm. The title of the song, “Ouran Highschool Toast Club” is a nod to a very well-known manga/anime series and it’s essentially comprised of weird, funny lines in the fashion of “I am not tall enough to ride Stratego libido. When will I take Finland in this game of risk?”.
What comes next is the album’s strongest set of songs, perhaps a bit too soon in the album but strong nonetheless. The track “Wut I Liek Abt U” will bring a few good smiling moments to anyone who doesn’t mind some good silliness with lines as irresistible as “Tell me your favorite kind of dinosaur so we can reenact their deaths or we can play 20 questions in different rooms or whatever you wanna do”.
“Racecar Bed (Ft. Yung Goth Boi)” is probably the closest to being serious the bad gets on the entire record (“and I'm wasting time, worrying about who I can really count on and picking up a book is so goddamn straining on my eyes cuz I'm not reading for me, I'm reading for you”) and let’s not forget the title of the track is based on a Simpson’s reference. Spoiler alert: don’t expect anyone called “Yung Goth Boi” to show up anywhere here.
“Caitlyn” is a solid track with a real nice ending. The lyrics once again steal the show here once you realize the song is basically about having a date with an imaginary dog, which makes lines like “There's still so much to see and maybe if we're lucky we can stay up late and watch tv” ridiculously funny when you come to think about it.
The remaining songs are mostly very good. The band gives a fine example of what not taking yourself seriously should be like in music like this with the song “J A N K” where at some point they unashamedly assert: “This is a rip off of a Title Fight song”. The track “Kentucky Castle” is good and it also feels more “serious” in comparison to others, lyrically, while the song “Spilt to Bill” asides from having a title that’s an obvious joke reference on the band Built to Spill, it’s also got some of the album’s most cleverly funny passages.
What is it that doesn’t work quite right here, then? Well, for one, the closing track “Vin Decent” is the weakest song, in my opinion and, frankly, it didn’t really do much for me lyrically or instrumentally. Then, of course, there’s a problem with the filler tracks that aren’t actually tracks but some sort of “joke tracks”. That’s JANK deliberately trying to be funny and not really succeeding at it. “Loading Screen” sounds passable but it’s completely out of place and it abruptly breaks the super fun mood solidly built on the previous tracks whereas “The Hat Store” and “Weed is Tight” are the cheesy, forced, eye-rolling and do very little for the album.
However, looking past those aforementioned missteps, the vast majority of the album is refreshingly fun and funny, smartly self-aware and a real pleasure to the ears, full of jazzy-rock hooks, swift, nice melodies and a stellar production. Awkward Pop Songs might not be as crafty as it could’ve been but the band prove to be so good at what they do that it still makes for an infectiously humorous experience where imaginary dogs, anime references and songs about being sad and laughing at it coexist in perfect harmony all while sounding like a breezy, colorful musical mess.
You can listen to the whole record in the link down below!
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