Crafting a high-energy rock sound spanning from grunge to alternative, Jovi Skyler delivers an excellent sophomore album in Unpopular. The 10-track release was recorded in a basement studio in Sydney and mastered by legendary Seattle engineer Jack Endino, whose work with Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney adds an interesting connection to the album’s early-’90s grunge influence.
Opening track “Dead Rockstars” quickly captures Skyler’s knack for melodic grunge-rock productions and lyrical wit. “We’re just bones,” his delivery exudes as he rummages through tombs, aspiring to make a scene while driving toward a title-touting declaration. The “can’t go back to school now” bridge is especially striking in its multi-layered harmonic shift, with blaring guitars complementing it well, before driving back into the menacing grunge-rock satiation. “”Dead Rockstars” is about the end of authenticity, the dopamine machine, the overwhelming overload and rehash of society itself, and the copy and paste of the individual,” Skyler explains.
Next up, “Hermit” opens with a steadier unveiling, shifting between understated perspectives of feeling “the seasons changing” and more expressive melodic ascents, particularly taking off in the sweltering dose of distortion around the “this is my space” midpoint. “Outcast” continues the album’s invigorating start, ruminating on self-esteem and personal betterment alongside a hectic, pulsing guitar presence. “No one understands,” the lines let out with outsider-friendly perspectives. The “so trivial” harmonic soaring compels wholly, moving from grungier grit to a more alternative/power-pop cohesion, before shifting back to the “toss and turn at night” grunge-laden anxieties.
Unpopular persists in crafting enjoyable productions that span from the heavy-rock steadiness of “Lazy Daze,” exhilarating in its refrain-heavy delivery and punk-ready pace, to the eclectic beauty of “Shame.” The latter delights in its expanse from jangling guitars and “you keep me warm” melodic affections to the hypnotic “you don’t even know” entrancement. The admissions of feeling ashamed at its conclusion casts a nocturnal intrigue, with shades of The Chameleons. Then the sound shifts seamlessly to the raucously energizing “Get Around,” whose “can’t get my head around” lyrical momentum melds excellently with fervent guitars and rhythms.
Album finale “Night Time Is My Time” is another success, developing through intense guitar riffs and descriptive lyricism like “the sweet taste of turpentine” — overall crafting a delectably unsettling rock prowess. “Tell me you’re alone,” Skyler’s performance immerses, stirring with a quivering tonal ferocity before a nocturnal final sequence, where lingering guitar tones fall into a spacious darkness. Unpopular is another showcase in dynamic rock songwriting from Jovi Skyler, who has also caught our ears in years past with releases like 2023’s Nothing to Do and 2024 EP Call It A Day.
The post Jovi Skyler – ‘Unpopular’ appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.
