Jenny Rubicon (JR) is a fresh-faced indie rock act hailing from NYC composed of James Bannon and Max Chomet – the duo’s evolution from collegiate friends with differing musical opinions to co-songwriters in a band is a wild one, but it’s these unlikely pairings that often create the best artistic results. A decade into their friendship (which has since blossomed considerably), they’ve crafted a brand new album titled Greedy. At nine songs long, Greedy is the sound of their growth as musical partners AND friends encapsulated into something tangible. Not only is it a fun-sounding, punchy, and crunchy batch of guitar-based power-pop that is perfect for any listening occasion, but it also touches on themes of moving on, growing up, and evolving as time goes by.
Album opener “Dinner Party” introduces the listener to the hallmarks of Jenny Rubicon’s sound; think chunky guitar distortion, upbeat tempos, and heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics delivered in a sincere and relatable way. “Dinner Party” is laced with nostalgia – references to the good-old-days of screen names brought me back to the early aughts where life didn’t always feel so oppressive. The song’s refrain is equally nostalgic, mentioning mundane acts like falling asleep watching old familiar movies and longing for the main characters that bear a resemblance to someone special. It paints a perfect, if not somewhat painful picture of times gone by, and finds a sweet spot between energetic power-pop strumming and emotional, heartfelt lyrical content.
Conceptually, jumping all the way to the end of the album, we’re hit with “Webdings,” which also rooted me back into 2005 territory, and the innocent nights of editing my away messages with the funny characters found in an otherwise unusable font. Album closers are usually reserved for the slow, introspective songs on the album, but JR turn up the fuzz tones and lay down some nimble guitar shredding in this rip-roaring song, further driving home the album’s motif of moving on and moving forward with life. Part of me longs for that feeling of finding the perfect lyrics to put into my AIM away message… And yet, that’s a whole lifetime ago and a whole different version of myself. JR is here to enforce that moving on isn’t always such a bad thing.
Jumping all the way back to track two, the title-track “Greedy,” JR drops another early album highlight, and an apt bearer of the album’s name. Wry chord progressions and droning guitar leads give this one an interesting and angular sound. The duo intertwine layered vocals, padding the song thick with harmonies and sing-along oohs and ahhs. It’s here where the power-pop influences really take root – fans of Superchunk, Ozma, and Teenage Fanclub will be delighted by this point.
There’s lots to dive into on Greedy, including “Monte Carlo,” another album highlight. The ear-catching chord progression twists and turns with a refreshingly jangly approach – leaning a little bit more into melody and jewel tone plucking as opposed to peppy guitar chugging. The super-clean harmonies on “do you think it’s a fallacy I can win in the end?” are some of the best moments on the album. The duo even explore harder rock territory, with the Soundgarden-esque buzzsaw guitars on “Zodiac Killer” and the hard rocking, riff-happy “Easy Love.” Anyone who enjoys guitar-driven music with a sardonic twist is going to find something to love here.
Greedy was recorded and mixed by Travis Harrison (Guided by Voices) at Serious Business Music in Brooklyn and mastered by Jamal Ruhe. Keep your eyes peeled for its release on January 19, 2024. Until then, enjoy a preview of the title track below via Bandcamp.