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Laura Jane Grace

Hole In My Head

Written by: PP on 07/04/2024 16:10:03

Older Against Me! fans, rejoice! Laura Jane Grace is back with her sophomore album "Hole In My Head", which sees her slightly tone down the acoustic troubadour stuff we saw on "Stay Alive" and reintroduces louder and more distorted material in the vein of early Against Me! until the "Searching For A Former Clarity" era. It provides a balanced mixture of throaty acoustic ballads and rowdy punk rockers to satisfy fans of both styles and thereby no doubt guaranteeing a fanbase expansion.

"Hole In My Head" is essentially like an Against Me! song. It's rowdy and fast-paced, functioning as a high-energy launchpad for the rest of the album. The tempo is taken down a notch straight away for a bluegrass-inspired acoustic guitar track "I'm Not A Cop", which explores the stylistic breadth of folk punk by also throwing in some country influence in the process.

However, the acoustic troubadourism of "Dysphoria Hoodie" is where the record starts peaking. It's a great example of Laura Jane Grace's great storytelling and songwriting ability - the lyrics are instantly catchy on first listen. "Punk Rock In Basements" is another with its earnest, nostalgic reflection about the foundations of Against Me! back when they used to play basements and couldn't hear the microphones because of the crowd energy.

"Birds Talk Too" is fueled by an upbeat tempo and guitar distortion, and of course, Laura's signature-style coarse vocals that continue to win people over through raw emotion. That said, "Give Up The Ghost" is probably the best example of the latter given how passionate it's "I'm standing at the center of the universe / Screaming at God, I'm not done" parts are. It's an eclectic song that will draw massive sing-alongs in live environments.

"Cuffing Season" sees Laura Jane Grace take a page off the Frank Turner playbook. It's folksy, yet clean and contemporary, resulting in a great and catchy track overall. That said, it's clear that the record is at its best when it is at its rawest. Whether during stripped-down acoustic tracks or the racier punk rock cuts, common to both is where the vocals break into a charismatic, coarse croon that just pierces through the soundscape.

Overall, "Hole In My Head" continues to offer Against Me! fans a solid alternative while we wait for the main band to reactivate. It's also proof that Laura Jane Grace isn't content just at delivering stripped-down main band stuff on her solo material, unlike many other punk singers (Joye Cape, Russ Rankin, et cetera, I love you guys, but that's honestly all it is). Instead, it feels like a main project in its own right. Solid album.

Download: Punk Rock In Basements, Hole In My Head, Give Up The Ghost, Dysphoria Hoodie
For the fans of: Against Me!, Dave Hause, AJJ, Frank Turner
Listen: Facebook

Release date 16.02.2024
Big Scary Monsters