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JJ And the A’s offer up their second release with four new songs to work their way into your earholes. Not lost on this recording is the band’s hardcore delivery mixed with KBD undercurrents from the first EP. They have added a hint of melody in these songs which harkens back to early SoCal punk à la T.S.O.L., Adolescents, and Red Cross. Through the wash of sound the organ soaked in fuzz makes me think they could have been listening to Electric Prunes or Oblivions sloshing around in some drunken party thinking up riffs. The soulful vocals are modern in the delivery, but also reminiscent of garage favorites Detroit Cobras in depth and character. The end result is a mashup of punk, garage, and underlying hardcore that is electrifying, raucous, and instantly enjoyable.
Bass, Drums, Synth – JJ
Guitar – Will
Vocals – Kimia
Recorded by Marcus Ferreira at No Master’s Studio
Mixed and mastered by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air Studios
Cover art by Calvin Wright
Our take: Eyeballer is the second 7” from this Copenhagen-based band on La Vida Es Un Mus, giving us four more blasts of their abrasive but tuneful synth-punk. While Eyeballer keeps the energy level just as high as the debut and is still bathed in sheets of fuzz, I think the melodies shine through even more memorably here than on the first JJ & the A’s record. “Generation” has a dreamy quality that reminds me of their label-mates Rata Negra, but the rhythm section’s full-bore intensity cuts that sweetness with bucketfuls of grit. The underwater effect on the vocals can’t drown out the catchiness of the chorus to “Eyeballer,” and the 60s organ sound from the synth elevate both the title track and closer “The Runner.” “Counterstrike,” on the other hand, lays into the Ramones influence with its super fast drumming and heavy chord changes. I also love the artwork on this record. The graffiti lettering (a theme that carries over from the first EP) seems like an odd fit, but that weird little punk mutant on the front and the cool primary color accents are to die for.