Album Reviews

LA-based band Jawdropped—vocalist Kyra Morling, vocalist/guitarist Roman Zangari, bassist Sean Edwards, and drummer Cook Lee-Chobanian—came to life a little over two years ago and previously released one EP’s worth of crunchy power-pop last year. What do they sound like? Like The Lemonheads, Teenage Fanclub, and Dinosaur Jr. thrown in a blender and seasoned to perfection. Or if you like your references more obscure: they made me think more than once of Boston’s Helicopter Helicopter. Does anyone still remember that band?

Anyway, if you like bright and shiny indie rock, think fondly of '90s alternative radio, and stop yourself just short of tipping your hat and yelling "yee-haw!" whenever you hear an alt-country tune, then Jawdropped has released the album for you. Secret To Spare comes with ten songs that are melancholy, hook-y, melodic, and downright gorgeous, driven in no small way by the dual vocals of Morling and Zangari, especially when they blend together.

Aside from engineering work by Colin Knight (Agriculture) and a mix courtesy of Alex Farrar (MJ Lenderman, Waxahatchee), Jawdropped self-produced this record, and you can tell they poured a lot of love into it. And while the melodies are big and bright, there’s always a darker, melancholic undercurrent flowing through these songs that only makes them better. Because honestly, who wants to hear songs that are just happy?

Need some more convincing? Check out opener “The Line”, the high-energy “Smoglight”, or “High Beams,” which packs the kind of solo that would put a smile on even J. Mascis’ face.