If You're Young
Encyclopedia
If You're Young is the first LP
released by The Static Jacks
. It was released on August 30, 2011 in the United States of America. The double single of "Into The Sun" and "Mercy, Hallelujah" was released on July 26, 2011 with iTunes
.
capture the beauty and terror of that place sonically? Here’s one way: with twelve earnest,
burnished tracks of soul-baring indie rock that mine the heart of fleeting youth. With the
release of If You’re Young, their debut full-length on Fearless Records
, Westfield, New Jersey
's
The Static Jacks
(lead vocalist Ian Devaney, guitarists Henry Kaye and Michael Sue-Poi, and
drummer Nick Brennan) give us exactly that.
Recorded and produced by Chris Shaw (Ted Leo
, Bad Brains
, Elvis Perkins in Dearland
) at Stratosphere Sound
in New York City
, the album maps a wilderness of
youthful trials and tribulations: the peerless bliss of love found; the barren hell of heartbreak;
fear of the ever-looming future, of growing old, of stagnation—topics at once personal and
also deeply universal. As the band explains the record, though, “Even if you’re not young,
you were once, so you’ll get where these songs are coming from.” And If You’re Young is
nothing if not wise, mature, and introspective, a hard-won product of experience rarely
delivered by twenty-somethings.
The opening track, “Defend Rosie,” charges into a drunken night of wild antics and
confrontations, and then resolves with a sober warning over a wall of stomps and
claps: “I’ve seen the future—you’ll never guess what the fuck is coming next.” What’s next
is “Girl Parts,” a take on ugly lustfulness in a friends-with-benefits relationship; its male-
female vocal duel renders the tension perfectly. “My Parents Lied,” the Jacks describe,
is “the story of finding glaring holes in your elders’ accounts of how life works.” Yet it’s
also a fervent affirmation of the present moment as all we’ve got, a battle cry for living fully,
a boycott of cynicism. Elsewhere, “Walls (We Can’t Work It Out)” is a Misfits (band)-tinged
obituary for a wounded, dying love affair, while “Mercy, Hallelujah” sounds like something
the Cure might write after abandoning religious faith. But If You’re Young offers up several
brighter pieces, too (“Relief,” “This Is Me Dancing”). When Ian sings on the former
song, “Assemble, assemble the joy we’ll allow—so temporary but perfect for now,” it’s
evident that the young Jacks haven’t yet exhausted hope—even if it is a measured kind.
Perhaps the best example of this comes in the record’s closing track, the wonderfully
titled “Drano-Ears.” Here, sanguine waves of guitar carry vocals that seem to embody the
band’s perspective on lost youth: “The worst of it’ll pass away.” “That’s what we want to
leave listeners with—a positive note,” the band says, “the sense that we all, at some point,
weather the same shitty storms, but come out stronger in the end.” And stronger the Static
Jacks are for all they reckon with on If You’re Young; this, finally, is how it sounds standing on
the edge of adulthood’s fray—then stepping boldly toward its clutches without losing the
fire of youth.
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
released by The Static Jacks
The Static Jacks
The Static Jacks are an American indie rock band from Westfield, New Jersey, consisting of singer Ian Devaney, guitarist Henry Kaye, guitarist Michael Sue-Poi, and drummer Nick Brennan...
. It was released on August 30, 2011 in the United States of America. The double single of "Into The Sun" and "Mercy, Hallelujah" was released on July 26, 2011 with iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
.
Album Biography
We’ll all stand on adulthood’s edge and face down our hopes and fears, but how does onecapture the beauty and terror of that place sonically? Here’s one way: with twelve earnest,
burnished tracks of soul-baring indie rock that mine the heart of fleeting youth. With the
release of If You’re Young, their debut full-length on Fearless Records
Fearless Records
Fearless Records is an alternative rock-oriented record label that has been signing artists since 1994. Fearless is based in Westminster, California and are best known for their early pop-punk moments captured in the Fearless Flush Sampler and Punk Bites releases, as well as additional releases by...
, Westfield, New Jersey
Westfield, New Jersey
Westfield is a town in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 30,316. The old village area, now the downtown district, was settled in 1720 as part of the Elizabethtown Tract....
's
The Static Jacks
The Static Jacks
The Static Jacks are an American indie rock band from Westfield, New Jersey, consisting of singer Ian Devaney, guitarist Henry Kaye, guitarist Michael Sue-Poi, and drummer Nick Brennan...
(lead vocalist Ian Devaney, guitarists Henry Kaye and Michael Sue-Poi, and
drummer Nick Brennan) give us exactly that.
Recorded and produced by Chris Shaw (Ted Leo
Ted Leo
Theodore F. Leo , called "Ted," as a short form of "Theodore," is an American punk rock/indie rock songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, though he is most known for his singing and guitar playing...
, Bad Brains
Bad Brains
Bad Brains is an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members objected to this term to describe their music. They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of...
, Elvis Perkins in Dearland
Elvis Perkins in Dearland
Elvis Perkins in Dearland is the second studio album by Elvis Perkins, and his first with backing band Elvis Perkins in Dearland, released on March 10, 2009, on XL Recordings....
) at Stratosphere Sound
Stratosphere Sound
Stratosphere Sound is a recording studio located in New York City. Previously known as "The Place", the studio was renamed Stratosphere Sound in 1999....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the album maps a wilderness of
youthful trials and tribulations: the peerless bliss of love found; the barren hell of heartbreak;
fear of the ever-looming future, of growing old, of stagnation—topics at once personal and
also deeply universal. As the band explains the record, though, “Even if you’re not young,
you were once, so you’ll get where these songs are coming from.” And If You’re Young is
nothing if not wise, mature, and introspective, a hard-won product of experience rarely
delivered by twenty-somethings.
The opening track, “Defend Rosie,” charges into a drunken night of wild antics and
confrontations, and then resolves with a sober warning over a wall of stomps and
claps: “I’ve seen the future—you’ll never guess what the fuck is coming next.” What’s next
is “Girl Parts,” a take on ugly lustfulness in a friends-with-benefits relationship; its male-
female vocal duel renders the tension perfectly. “My Parents Lied,” the Jacks describe,
is “the story of finding glaring holes in your elders’ accounts of how life works.” Yet it’s
also a fervent affirmation of the present moment as all we’ve got, a battle cry for living fully,
a boycott of cynicism. Elsewhere, “Walls (We Can’t Work It Out)” is a Misfits (band)-tinged
obituary for a wounded, dying love affair, while “Mercy, Hallelujah” sounds like something
the Cure might write after abandoning religious faith. But If You’re Young offers up several
brighter pieces, too (“Relief,” “This Is Me Dancing”). When Ian sings on the former
song, “Assemble, assemble the joy we’ll allow—so temporary but perfect for now,” it’s
evident that the young Jacks haven’t yet exhausted hope—even if it is a measured kind.
Perhaps the best example of this comes in the record’s closing track, the wonderfully
titled “Drano-Ears.” Here, sanguine waves of guitar carry vocals that seem to embody the
band’s perspective on lost youth: “The worst of it’ll pass away.” “That’s what we want to
leave listeners with—a positive note,” the band says, “the sense that we all, at some point,
weather the same shitty storms, but come out stronger in the end.” And stronger the Static
Jacks are for all they reckon with on If You’re Young; this, finally, is how it sounds standing on
the edge of adulthood’s fray—then stepping boldly toward its clutches without losing the
fire of youth.
Track listing
- "Defend Rosie" - 3:08
- "Girl Parts" - 2:22
- "Into The Sun" - 3:14
- "My Parents Lied" - 2:52
- "Sonata (Maybe We Can Work It Out)" - 3:05
- "Walls (We Can't Work It Out)" - 2:23
- "Mercy, Hallelujah" - 3:11
- "Blood Pressure" - 3:23
- "This Is Me Dancing" - 3:47
- "Relief" - 3:56
- "It's Such A Shame" - 3:27
- "Drano-Ears" - 3:12