With the beginning of the new month came Jay Rouge & the Stoges’ new album. Released on Monday, the album “Friends & Lovers” comes just in time for woodsers and long drives to visit family. Quirky lyrics fill the album, and catching all the witty lines makes the album worth a listen.
The Gainesville band starts off its album with a tongue-in-cheek double entendre titled “Undercover Lover.” This word play is the first, but certainly not the last, for the album. The band has a knack for quick puns, which fit right in with the music’s relaxed nature.
The album’s sound is reminiscent of easy rock music heard at a local bar on a weekend night. Most of the songs are about love, lovemaking or the problems that come with being young. Although nothing groundbreaking, the band crafts songs college students relate to.
The funny lyrics show the band’s approach to music making. On “Ends Meet,” we hear about trying to make rent and the hardships in doing so. This song connects to a problem that a lot of listeners deal with. The humorous lyrics make light of an unavoidable, grown-up chore which most people stress over. You can catch this song playing in the background as I wipe my “I’m-a-broke-college-student” tears with one hand and drop off my overpriced rent check with the other.
The guitar peeking through on songs like “In the Bushes” and “Take You Down” captivates a mellow vibe. The guitar on these tracks is the best part, and I wish for more of this smooth instrumental throughout the album. Also, the beat boxing and soft chorus on “Take You Down” make it one of the better tracks.
While listening to “Smash,” my face looked a little too much like the monocle-wearing, thinking emoji. I know it’s supposed to be comical, but some of the lyrics made me cringe. The ”want to smash” reiteration in the background didn’t help either.
The use of vocals on top of one another takes some getting used to. Fast pace flows are seen almost everywhere on the album. It isn’t until near the end of the project that we hear a change of course, but then it goes right back into the same beat.
The album doesn’t take music too seriously. The saving grace on this album: the clever lyrics and funny one-liners. In contrast, the downfall is the over-used formula that repeats from one song to the next. The writing is light-hearted and straight to the point. I applaud the band for creating songs unapologetically. Sometimes we see bands try hard to be something they are not, but Jay Rogue & the Stoges stick to its carefree vibe, making the music true to the band.
