Review Summary: Shove indy-pop, the emo revival, and pop-punk in a blender.
Girlfriends is the creation of one man, Jerry Joiner. Jerry Joiner is a genius. Created when he was just 17 years old, this is one of the funkiest, jazziest, and upbeat sounding records I’ve heard come out of the indy world in ages.
Every single instrumental on this album is catchy, and not just in the pop radio way. Joiner just has an incredible understanding of melody and harmonies. Tracks like “Brobocop” open with a single infectious tune that instantly hooks the listener, and then the track explodes with the rest of the instruments and the vocals all at once. It’s rather reminiscent of the work by shoegaze band Pinkshinyultrablast in this regard. However, in every other regard this album is utterly unique. The drums are constantly clattering and booming while the guitars are twinkling overtop. Simple bass lines keep the tracks sounding full and the subtle keyboard keeps the melody going through most of the album. Thick, bloated synth lines come in and out of the tracks and just keep the vibe weird. It all melds together in a way that is so quirky and whacky that you can’t help but have it stuck in your head for days later.
While the main draw may be the energetic instrumentals the vocals are what ultimately captivates. The use of the barking/shouting style so widespread in pop-punk and harmonizing it is insanely addictive. In fact, the amount of times that solo clean singing is used can be counted on one hand and that is certainly not a bad thing. This is a record all about energy and life and pain and being young. Every vocal screams and bleeds power; every line is sincere and immature. Songs like “Brobocop” and “Bernie Mac Attack” are roundabout and bizarre requests for sex. Others like “Untitled 6” seem to deal with the fallout of a bad break up. It’s all just so high school in theme, but it’s absolutely great too. The real kicker is that the lyrics aren’t even that bad, they’re rather poetic and clever despite their juvenile ideas. Much like how Modern Baseball has nailed lyrical themes about being in your early 20s Joiner has nailed the intense passion of your teenage years.
And that’s just the album in a nutshell: adolescence in soundwaves. Joiner made this at the perfect age, with the perfect mindset, and with the right amount of talent and skill. It’s simply steeped in youth, it reeks with teenage angst, it begets memories of a time before emotions were easily kept in check. It’s reckless and bold usually, restrained at other times, but always powerful. It’s simply a lovable and endearing record.
