What season is it today Chicago?
As any resident of Chicago is painfully aware of—seasons change imperceptibly. It can be 55 degrees and feel like summer. People begin to break out their shorts prematurely, then, the next day or even as the sun sets, there is a torrential downpour of rain and you begin to wonder “why did I even bother to get my hopes up?”
The theme of Part Four of the Punk Survey is Spring. I find myself gravitating towards certain artists or sub-genres given the particular season it is. In winter, I was listening to mostly hardcore and maybe some post-metal. I wanted music to pair with the morose and drowning feeling of a Chicago winter.
As spring begins to bloom, I seek out power-pop and all of the choruses and melodies they provide. The vibe I’m searching for is the feeling of sitting in a park while the sun is just washing over you. Or the feeling of dipping your feet into the water of a pool while you have an ice cold drink in your hand. So, here are two Chicago bands that ooze the feeling of summer.
What Gives
I can only use so many similes to describe What Gives before it becomes hackneyed. I’ll try my best to be brief:
What Gives is the feeling of eating a cheeseburger on a patio during a 85 degree summer day with an ice cold soda. They are summer walks, with the sun slowly washing over you. What Gives are summer barbecues incarnate.
Beginning in the winter of 2014, the band was formed by a group of friends seeking some sunny, pop-centered relief. That sentiment oozes into each second and is the text for many of the band’s songs. Corey Willis’s lead guitar is bright and a perfect complement to lead singer Andy Hendrick’s vocals. The melodies stick to you like a very light hug, thanks to drummer Marcus Nuccio’s and bassist Joe Henderer’s contributions.
Recommended Song: “All We Wanted/All We Got”
Jupiter Styles
Originally under the name of Single Player, songwriter and lead singer Sean Neuman created 1- to 2-minute quick punk songs, infused with his own sense of melody. In a song like “TV Theme”, he was able to construct what feels like an entire well thought out musical composition in the short span of 52 seconds.
Be Good, his most recent release under the name Jupiter Styles feels like he’s stretching his artistic possibilities. Songs start out small and gentle, building their way to wide open choruses like in “Surefire Way” and “Lifelike.” The choruses stick with you, still bouncing around your head hours later.
But, there are still the 50 second fuzzed out power pop songs like “Stick Around.” Single Player still permeates much of Jupiter Styles. There is a looseness that characterizes Neuman’s songwriting style that make his songs delightful. Within the same record, you have drawn out songs that follow the traditional verse-chorus-verse structure and songs like “Vampire,” which is a tight minute and 30 seconds.
Jupiter Styles, if I could put it simply, has all of the core elements you would want in rock band with pop sensibilities. There are riffs and lead guitar passages that get stuck in your head. The vocals are aesthetically pleasing in an inexplicable way. Most importantly, there are strong choruses that center the songs, so that you will keep on returning to them throughout the day.
Recommended Song: “Life Like”