One of our favourite discoveries of the year so far has been Letters From Suburbia, the musical project of American artist Jesse D. Pennington. ‘MEDICAL BOOMERANG’ was our introduction to the pop-punk sounds of the artist, and then his tongue-in-cheek smash ‘POKER NIGHT’ simply stole our collective hearts. Jesse now returns with his sophomore EP in the form of ‘Are We Alright?’ – a six-track sonic extravaganza that deserves your attention! Let’s dive in.
The EP’s title song gets proceedings underway and the listener is immediately thrown into the deep end of Letters From Suburbia’s punky and infectious soundscape. The perfect start!
‘MEDICAL BOOMERANG‘ and ‘POKER NIGHT‘ serve as tracks three and four respectively, before the energetic and perfectly layered ‘DROP YOU’ makes its appearance.
‘AFTER THE BELLS’ is as close to a ballad as I’ve heard from Jesse – a beautiful and anthemic little number that lingers long after the tune finishes, before ‘WHERE DOES THE SPARK GO?’ closes out the EP in classic pop-punk fashion. A memorable finale that brings the journey full circle, ‘Are We Alright?’ is an absolute winner from start to finish.
Discussing his latest offering, Jesse mentions that the EP “Really touches on a short but comprehensive full spectrum of core issues in modern suburban America. Work. Health. Fun. Loss. Love. Death”.
Serious EP alert! Enjoy ‘Are We Alright?’ on Spotify now:
