JEFF ROSENSTOCK
Hellmode (Specialist Subject)
Aspiring to capture the overwhelming feeling of simply being alive, Hellmode – the latest release by melodic underground punk favourite Jeff Rosenstock – fizzles with the sensory chaos of witnessing the certainty you put your faith in collapse. On Healmode, a gentle acoustic piece, Rosenstock recalls moving out of his home state of California as an escape from wildfires and suffocating heat; “I wanted life on Earth to feel sustainable. I wanted the drought to end,” he recently wrote, by way of explanation.
Throughout the album, clear parallels to the pandemic and climate anxiety emerge, as Liked U Better and Doubt address feelings of burnout and helplessness in the face of giant threats to our survival. Far from sounding bleak, however, there’s a cathartic fierceness to these songs. Future Is Dumb and the changeable, seven-minute closer 3 Summers are made to feel defiant through bright melodies, vibrant guitar work and charming touches of off-key falsetto; Life Admin even sees our frontman acknowledging his privilege relative to someone who can’t just leave their home for a new one.
This deeply honest approach to writing, paired with the intensity of the performances, makes for an experience that, while offering no easy solutions, proves relatable and, above all, empathetic.
words ALEX SWIFT
