Album review: Junkfood Forever, Bedtime Whatever
by New Swears
Released by Bachelor Records
New Swears’ Junkfood Forever, Bedtime Whatever proves sequels do not always suck.
This album is the Ottawa natives’ second full-length release, following 2013’s Funny Isn’t Real. Their first album received widespread acclaim from critics. New Swears created a party punk album that was appealing to every listener. Funny Isn’t Real set a standard for the band that would be tough to meet, let alone exceed.
This album bears a lot of similarities to Funny Isn’t Real in terms of album length and how much every song makes you want to dance.
However, Junkfood is a clear improvement to the previous release, something noticable within the first 30 seconds of the album. The opening track, “Midnight Lovers,” demonstrates the technically improved sound quality and the overwhelming improvement musically.
New Swears have refined their musical talents between the two albums while retaining the youthful spirit that made their first release so fun.
Junkfood is much more diverse than the band’s first album. New Swears borrowed musical elements from other genres of music and integrated them into their own.
While “Legalize Freedom” has heavy music and grisly vocals, “Candy Land” has more soulful sound. Upon further examination, the lyrics to “Candy Land” have almost an emo-esque feel.
Even country makes an appearance in “Sweet Donna,” adding classic country guitar riffs to the mix. All of these elements serve to make the songs more interesting, keeping the audience’s attention.
This record is a punk rock dance party in disguise. Each song is upbeat and lively. The music inspires energy instead of leeching it. The songs seamlessly lead into each other, never leaving a chance for the audience to lose their attention. The whole album is extremely catchy, guaranteed to get stuck in your head for the days and weeks to come.
While there are definitely a couple of party songs on the record, there are others that incite emotion and keep you engaged.
Every song on the album is ridiculous in the best possible way, as is the band themselves. They are not afraid to have fun, evident in songs like
“Main Stream,” where the band proclaims that they do not care if they make it “big” and they are just having fun.
That carefree attitude is what fuels the fun that this album encourages. The band succeeded in producing an album that they obviously put a lot of work into, yet sounds effortless.
