Bad Time Records – 27 MAY 2022
On one of the most anticipated albums of the year, JER's debut of original material stands out as the best ska record of 2022 so far.
JER, aka Jeremy Hunter, is the trombone player for queercore ska band We Are the Union and the mastermind behind the popular ska covers project Skatune Network. With both of their projects always putting out new material, it's hard to believe they had the time to write and record their first solo album of original material. But just like We Are the Union's Ordinary Life was a surprising marriage of subject matter and style being—to my knowledge—the first ska album ever written about trans issues, JER's Bothered/Unbothered becomes the second such album. JER, being both non-binary and black, finds themselves exploring the intersection between race and gender identity and the challenges that come with both. Bothered/Unbothered is a sort of companion piece to Ordinary Life in that way, ushering in a new era of queer-themed ska.
The record is bookended by two title tracks, “Bothered” and “Unbothered,” which are distinctly different songs that are united by the same infectious melody and a similar refrain. In some ways you could call “Unbothered” the reprise of “Bothered, while at the same time they're clearly different songs. This gives the album a sense of overarching structure and a cohesive sense of theme.
My favorite track by a mile is “Decolonize Yr Mind,” a gorgeous, slow ska song with some rap elements that discusses the importance of having an intersectional concept of politics and justice. “Garden of Understanding” then becomes a sort of answer to “Decolonize Yr Mind,” creating a solution to the problem presented in the previous song. Then comes “Maybe…,” which sounds less like a ska song and more like a 90s midwestern emo song with a horn section.
My biggest complaint comes in the two penultimate songs of the album. “You Can Get It If You Really Want” (originally by Jimmy Cliff) and “Nobody Can Dull My Sparkle” are certainly solid songs musically, but their lyrical themes are so oversimplified as to almost become pandering. Getting a listener behind the idea that anything is possible if you try hard enough and an expression of radical self-acceptance is, to use a cliché, like shooting fish in a barrel. It lacks the rest of the album's lyrical complexity and sense of nuance.
As far back as early April, even on the very day this record was announced, my inbox has been bombarded by Bad Time Records with low quantity alerts for different vinyl variants and even the limited edition cassette version of the album. The first two pressings of the vinyl sold out in record time (no pun intended), with the vinyl already on its third pressing by the time the album was released on streaming. It seems JER's reputation has really preceded them, with a lot of buzz surrounding this album before anyone even heard it. And now that I've heard it, it definitely lives up to the hype as the best ska album I've heard all year. Happy Pride Month, y'all!
Julie is punk rock, lesbian time lady from the future. The greatest things in the world are punk rock and science fiction. Check out her website JulieRiver.com!
