Pennsylvania’s hardcore punk powerhouse, Pissed Jeans, is not the easiest band to categorize. Not because they so thoroughly defy genre, but because they manage to reference the past without feeling like they’re retreading it. Part 80s hardcore throwback, part modern life lament, Pissed Jeans’ discography is loud, rattling, and extremely satisfying. Their newest full length, Honeys, out in February on Sub Pop, tackles such topics as prolonged adolescence, picking a health plan, the male gaze, and, well, Louboutins, all with their customary blistering touch. Pissed Jeans’ most clear predecessors in style and velocity may be bands like Black Flag (the My War era) and The Jesus Lizard, but their subject matter is straight out of 2013. Dealing with post-collegiate quasi adulthood’s confusing mire of expectation and powerlessness, Pissed Jeans’ lyrics consistently elevate the mundane, making things like cafeteria food, laughing in the bathroom, and staring at a girl’s shoes sound cohesive and compelling. It’s not all so simple, though. Honeys brings up more serious subject matter, referencing the expectations found in relationships in “Romanticize Me,” and offering something of a feminist anthem in “Male Gaze,” where lead singer Matt Korvette apologizes to trivialized and invalidated women everywhere. It’s refreshing to hear a band with this pedigree reference gender issues – Rock music, and, to a large extent, hardcore and punk music, does not have the greatest track record when it comes to taking women seriously. These deeper topics never feel heavy-handed or out of place; in fact, they make the album that much more pleasing, showing off a mature versatility perhaps less highlighted in their earlier albums. Simply put, there’s a lot to like about Pissed Jeans. Noisy and aggressive without being ugly, listening to Honeys feels sort of like being caught in the basement of a crowded bowling alley (or at least what I imagine that to be like). It’s loud, lively, and relentless, and, given the everyman lyrical quality pervading much of the album, the Jeans feel like they could be your neighbors or acquaintances. Hardcore (and punk) is sometimes dismissed as too much to digest, or too alienating, since much of the genre is based on a sound built from a steady, incurable anger. But Pissed Jeans manage to transcend this, proving that you can bring the blister of rage to an album about girls, growing up, and staying away from doctors. If you miss the tang of 80s hardcore, Honeys, while not sweet in the least, may be exactly what you need.
