Review: Jeff Rosenstock – We Cool?

Following the indefinite hiatus of Bomb The Music Industry, lead singer Jeff Rosenstock trekked out on his own, finding gratitude with his solo work. Much like BTMI, Rosenstock takes elements of alternative rock, indie, folk and punk, throws it into a blender, and the result is We Cool? Case in point—“Get Old Forever” starts with Rosenstock singing over some fast-paced acoustic guitar and the drums jump in with an electric piano driving the melody. “Nausea” is similar, with his vocals singing in conjunction with a piano whose melody is later accompanied by a horn section, and “Blissed Out” keeps a slower melody driven by an accordion and a theremin. As catchy and as badass as these songs are, they never seem pretentious or redundant, proving that you don’t always need speed and distortion to write punk songs. –Eric U. Norris