Over the past decade, Jeff Rosenstock has made himself one of the most prominent figures in punk music as it stands today. His latest release, (and in my opinion, his greatest) the aptly titled “Worry”, is a culmination of the feelings of every anxiety attack and fever dream that Rosenstock has ever experienced, and is very relatable to listeners of this genre of music. Don’t get me wrong,Over the past decade, Jeff Rosenstock has made himself one of the most prominent figures in punk music as it stands today. His latest release, (and in my opinion, his greatest) the aptly titled “Worry”, is a culmination of the feelings of every anxiety attack and fever dream that Rosenstock has ever experienced, and is very relatable to listeners of this genre of music. Don’t get me wrong, Jeff’s music has always sounded like this, so it isn’t so much him finding his voice as it is him refining it, and adding new meaning to his frantic songwriting. Jeff has always been a role model and paragon in the modern punk scene, a founder of the pay-what-you-want initiative in music, prior to the band camp days of this practice, so his anxiety-driven, morally and ethically clawing lyrics line up completely with what we know his personality to be. The production of this album is of absolute high quality and very polished, and everything blends in the kind of way you would expect great angsty punk to blend. Throughout “Worry”, punchy, melodic guitars are coupled with synth leads and a powerful percussion kit (as well as the occasional glockenspiel) that create an almost sugarcoated instrumental base, but the lyrics contrast this brilliantly- focusing on topics of individualistic ideals and liberal guilt primarily. This album does not pull any punches lyrically, either. It would be easy for this album to be written off as whiny angst, an issue that plagues many punk and pop punk records, but Rosenstock avoids this entirely, because everything on this album is so specific that it feels entirely genuine. The opening track ‘We Begged 2 Explode’ sets the stage for the record, addressing Rosenstock’s feelings as he realizes that all his old friends are getting married and having children, and how he’s still doing what he has always done, and his whiny and sad vocal delivery is so honest that it can only be met with sympathy. One of my absolute favorite tracks on the album, “To Be A Ghost…” is a song that addresses nearly every topic of the album at once- arguments breaking out all over the internet, public killings, the over saturation of advertising and marketing in America, and the generalized hatred that is currently plaguing the american political scene while simultaneously presenting worry and hope at the same time that someday everything will find it’s way to working out. Rosenstock plays to the current sensibilities of many young Americans in a way that doesn’t feel pandering or dishonest, but instead genuine and concerned. And this is a common theme in “Worry”, which is what keeps it from becoming too exhausting, because the whole album has this underlying feeling of unity within the anxiety, as if worrying this much is normal, and it reveals the really meaningful little things within the record’s little meaningful details. Despite all the harmonic screaming and sad mutterings that are prevalent on this record, there are a few other tracks that exhibit brief moments of joy and fun that really feel as if this record is an audio representation of Jeff’s mind, and it makes this experience all the much more enjoyable. This album isn’t just about worrying, but also about the hope inside it. The song “I Did Something Weird Last Night” is about his girlfriend at the time, who is now his wife, and how concerned he was with everything of their relationship falling apart, because “nothing intangible remains sustainable”, and how the overwhelming anxiety that the good things will end, and that in the end everyone becomes a sucker. But there is so much hope inside that worry at the same time, because things do work out in the end despite this. I cannot any more highly recommend “Worry”, as it is my absolute favorite punk rock album of the year, and one of my favorites to be released in recent years. Take a breath, sit down, and put this record on. You won’t regret it.… Expand
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