[Album Review] We Were Promised Jetpacks – “These Four Walls”
Born from the reverb of labelmates Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jetpacks will possibly never escape their immediate comparisons. Released in 2009, These Four Walls was originally received by the online music community as a bit of a novelty, following suit after Frightened Rabbit’s stellar Midnight Organ Fight set a new stamp on angsty rock n roll that was literal, guttural, and realistically heartbreaking. The comparisons, while glaring, aren’t necessarily deserved, however, as the blogosphere was more eager to churn out a review the day the album dropped as opposed to absorbing it over time. With a post-punk backing, I believe it is ultimately the masculine, bar-fighting power of We Were Promised Jetpacks that makes this album both a genuine rock ‘n’ roll article and a more attractive emotional pill to swallow.
These Four Walls is a rock ‘n’ roll record, first and foremost . . . let’s not make any quarrels over that. The 4/4 timing and rampant kickdrums are there, as are the three-chord melodies. Also, from here on out, I’ll neglect making any more Frightened Rabbit references other than the fact that the frantic, ramshackle rhythms of We Were Promised Jetpacks boasts more of a physical punch than any of their Fat Cat counterparts. While it is the effective lyrical prowess that Frightened Rabbit rely on, WWPJ rely solely on brute strength in both beats, repetitive prose, and guitar twang. More akin to a drunken sing-along, turned chaotic backalley brawl, perhaps the only complaint one could make would be the reversed sense of storytelling/orchestration on These Four Walls.
The composition follows the tracklisting perfectly, beginning with a rousing, chaotic rock song in “It’s Thunder and It’s Lightning”, that begs you to leave “before you punch my lights out”, and then winding into an instrumental-based series of calms. After the initial boom, the power and brogue continue through the midway section of the album on tracks that mix a bit of Bloc Party-esque dance with WWJP’s own, personal, brand of modern rock and heavily-accented crooning. By “This Is My House, This Is My Home”, though, the album has reached its crescendo and begins to decline in tenacity and energy until capping out on the sober dawn of “An Almighty Thud”. The album kicks ass and then falls headfirst into artsy, indie rock, beginning with thunder and lightning, and ending with a thud. If only these songs were flipped, the album might have a more dramatic appeal.
These Four Walls is an album that has really grown on me over the past couple of months and is an album that was written off as a trending sound or look-alike to Fat Cat’s stable of Scottish acts too soon. The internet buzz machine seems apt to write a review immediately upon the release date (even if they’ve only owned the preview tracks or promotional album for a few weeks) instead of letting it sink in. We Were Promised Jetpacks bear more resemblance to a modern day, tech punk rock act than they do an emoting bunch of foreigners, destined to be the next U2. With accomplished skills and the confidence to go blazing into complete rock n roll chaos, These Four Walls is an album that will receive plenty more listens and become a repeat listener as the years go on. These Four Walls, for me, is the album that I’ve been searching for after Bloc Party fizzled in their sophomore attempt and re-affirms my belief that UK bands continue to create the catchiest music as of late. Influence and comparison aside, We Were Promised Jetpacks will survive on their own accord, and, simply put, if Frightened Rabbit is the crushing winter, then We Were Promised Jetpacks are the youthful spring.
MP3: “Quiet Little Voices” – We Were Promised Jetpacks
MP3: “It’s Thunder and It’s Lightning” – We Were Promised Jetpacks
- We Were Promised Jetpacks Official Site
- Fat Cat Records
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