Top Drawer Records- 16 Sept 2023
I wish there was a way to say just how much this means to me
Pop-punk gets a bad rap. Kind of like the way everyone goes through a NOFX stage but most of us outgrow it quickly, the harmonies and themes of adolescence angst aren’t supposed to remain an important part of our musical journey… well I’m somewhat stunted that way and I still love me a good pop-punk bridge and three-part harmony over four chords. That’s why I was chomping at the bit to check out the sophomore record from The Subjunctives.
Let’s Try This Again from Top Drawer Records proves a pop-punk band can mature without being mature. Featuring members of legends Sicko and Four Lights, The Subjunctives have been at this for a while and it would be easy for them to rehash the well-received sounds of their previous work or to completely change their sound to show growth and maturity as they’ve grown a bit longer in the tooth. Instead, the band has chosen the most difficult path and have decided to walk the line directly intersecting those two options The Subjunctives aren’t trying to recapture a past glory, they are simply having a blast living and dealing in the now, embracing their immaturity on cuts full of reflection and loss. The band has grown without growing up, gracefully accepting they’ve aged, shining in tracks of middle-aged angst.
Opening up with a pair of sugar-rushed reflections on lost friendships and lost employment, The Subjunctives immediately remind everyone of their members’ signature harmonies, their quick tempo and their ability to put a smile on our faces while telling someone to kick rocks. Following up on “We’re Not Friends Anymore” and “Goodbye, I Will Not Miss You, You Dicks” the trio put out “I Don’t Have The Time.” Full of left-coast vibes, the track tackles the far-too-common frustration of dealing with some doofus who is so confidently wrong and devoid of reason or logic.
“Smart Punk” is a backward glance to the days whenLarry Livermore proved smart punks exist, when Milo Went To College and being pop-punk didn’t mean you had to be a moron. The Subjunctives, correctly, long for more Dr Frank’s or Greg Graffins, when your favorite records would reference an author that would expand and improve your mind. Another nostalgic look back at those who carried the pop-punk banner comes in the form of recent single, “Its A Shame We Didn’t get More Time, Lance.” The itemized breakdown of connections between Ean Hernandez and J-Church bandleader Lance Hahn is an upbeat yet stark reminder of the dwindling time we have with those in our lives. The next song, “Don’t Want To Be A Leader, Don’t Want To Be Led” is also influenced by Hahn, as the title is drawn from the J-Church track “Two Friends.”
(Humor me here and let me believe you actually read this far and cared enough to remember the words a few paragraphs back, ok?) Remember when I said the The Subjunctives did not “rehash the well-received sounds of their previous work,” right, you remember that line? Well it wasn’t entirely true, because the band opens up Side B by actually including “Believe (Rehashed).” The updated take on Sicko’s “Believe” (Chef Boy R U Dumb, 1995) has a cleaner sound thanks to Matt Allison’s mix. Did the song need an reimagining? Nope. Was I happy to heard the new performance? You bet I was! The second continues on with the same formula that made the first side so much fun.
To discuss the record and ignore the aesthetics of the physical release would be a disservice. Featuring a green background with a trio of magenta bears destroying a stage set up for a Subjunctives show, leads way to the gorgeous magenta LP. I’m really quite a fan of the bright color and love the way it pops against the dark brown wood stand my table sits atop. The liner notes themselves are an important piece of the story here.
Beyond the common layout featuring lyrics, thank yous and band recommendations, there is a not-so-short, incredibly sincere blurb from the face of the band, Ean Hernandez. With a quick eulogy for Lance Hahn, wistful reflection on closures in the wake of the COVID pandemic and foreshadowed excitement for the trio to do this again, the blurb was a welcome window without the drapery of the sophomoric lyrics Ean has become known for.
Let’s Try This Again is exactly what its title implies a second chance. Sure, its another opportunity to record and tour and gain fans, its also a second chance in that its a sophomore record, and a second chance because when you release your debut in 2019 and the world stops in 2020, you deserve a clean slate. Most importantly. Its a second chance for those of us listening to feel the connection and sarcasm we loved so much a quarter century ago.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
