ALBUM REVIEW: The Jellybricks – Dreaming In Stereo (Wicked Cool Records)
The Jellybricks, from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, burst onto the scene in 1997 with the release of their debut album Kinky Boot Beast.
Since then they’ve won the hearts and minds of music lovers all over the US, but remain something of an unknown quantity here in the UK.
This is their eighth full-length album, and I’d recommend it to fans of everything from the ’60s British invasion through US bands like The Replacements, Goo Goo Dolls and Barenaked Ladies.
It’s 12 tracks of infectious college rock/power-pop full of melodic hooks, harmonies and call-and-response choruses that will stay in your head all day.
Although the band started out as a vehicle for frontman Larry Kennedy’s songs, all four members now contribute, and take turns at lead vocals.
They persevered for 20 years before being ‘discovered’ by Stevie Van Zandt, earning their place in the limelight with 2019 album Some Kind Of Lucky, their first for his Wicked Cool label.
Building on that breakthrough, Dreaming In Stereo kicks off with lead single Age Of Stupid, one of those hook-filled songs which sound immediately familiar, even though it’s the first time you’re heard it.
The earworms come thick and fast after that; the title track, Sound Of A Broken Heart and the punchy Do It When You’re Done all hit the spot nicely, as do the singles All About You and the country-tinged Devil’s A Day Away, but the real standouts lie elsewhere.
Monday’s Never, the lead single, is a delicious slice of ennui-drenched power-pop, while Enchanted I Am sounds like The La’s or Cast, and the funkier, more laid-back Follow That Girl shows The Jellybricks aren’t one-trick ponies.
The Jellybricks are a well-honed outfit, and their music is hugely enjoyable, even if it’s not going to win any prizes for originality or inspire you to rebellion. 7.5/10.
