When I Say Jump, Separation Anxiety(self-released)
Find it: wisjump.bandcamp.com (Available Jan. 24)
With Separation Anxiety, Columbia’s When I Say Jump proves just how far it’s willing to go, and in how many seemingly divergent directions, careening into an earnest and compelling fusion of emo and hardcore. One needn’t look much farther than the album’s opener, “Debby Drowner,” where the band finds a jagged riff to buoy sharp vocals that split the difference between Fall Out Boy’s sardonic wordplay and At The Drive-In’s abstract anthems. The rest of the album continues in this vein, merging sharp wit with harsh emotions against a backdrop of charged pop-punk and post-hardcore.
Take, as another example, “The Gun’s Just A Conversation Piece,” in which frontman John Davis launches from pop-hardcore riffs that could’ve been pulled from Strung Out or Every Time I Die’s catalog into a chorus that wrestles with burnout, suicidal ideation and social media one-upmanship.
“Break my back on the clock / Waste my time writing these rhymes,” Davis howls. “I’ll fill the pews with my good news / I’m gonna chug this cyanide / Wanna see me do a swan dive off this building? / Pics or it never happened.”
“Dishonest Love” tackles turncoat friends with needling post-punk riffs that give way to an explosive, melodic chorus. Here, Davis is an acrobat shifting easily from feral screams into tight melody. The band behind him follows suit, veering seamlessly from palm-muted chugging into panoramic melodic leads.
When I Say Jump crams a lot onto this eight-song, 24-minute outing, but the quartet’s polished and precise performance, punchy production and clear sense of urgency makes for an auspicious debut.
