NO DREAM – Jeff Rosenstock

Let’s be honest here. Post- was a little disappointing. I mean yes, it is incredibly difficult to follow up one of the best records of the decade in Worry. But Post- lacked a lot of what made Worry. so exciting: the pure, unadulterated energy, the breakneck pace from the short runtimes, and the perfect sequencing all came together in a perfect package. There were certainly some high points on Post- and it contains some of the best songs that Rosenstock has ever written. But at the same time, it also felt uneven towards the second half of the album where it felt like the energy had already burnt out and the remnants were predictable power-pop progressions.

NO DREAM is a return to form for Rosenstock as he brings his A-game to his melodies and riffs once again. Every song is brimming with sheer energy while still retaining Rosenstock’s classic feelings of fear and inadequacy. Always balanced between these two things, NO DREAM is all about our anxieties surrounding the world at large. In this current political climate, the crushing weight of capitalism and hollow materialism feel impossible to deal with. NO DREAM is half battle cry, half paralyzing anxiety as we struggle against our situation.

Rosenstock is a master at his craft now, executing the melodies in perfect tandem with every riff and backbeat. NO DREAM feels like a breath of fresh air for the state of pop-punk in 2020. It feels like the true essence of rebelling against the industry and the world at large. As more pop-punk bands return to their roots or even incorporate the popularity of emo-rap, it feels like many of them nail the pop side of the sound but neglect the punk side as a result. Rosenstock brings together both sides of pop-punk in a balanced way and combines them into a triumphant album that’s reminiscent of what the genre was all about. Just as impressive, however, is his ability to maintain the same energy as he did in the 90s. There’s pure passion in his songwriting and his love of music shines through. Although NO DREAM isn’t as tightly woven together as Worry. and isn’t sequenced perfectly, it’s still a wonderful album that speaks to us at our core. It makes you want to rebel against the world, to give us something to fight for despite the anxieties that plague us. In 2020, that’s really all you can ask for.

Must Listens: Scram!, N O D R E A M, Ohio Tpke

81/100

About the Author

Jeff

I turned my incoherent ramblings on music, anime, and video games into an entire blog.

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