Album Reviews
Following 2023’s self-released debut The Yuppies Are Winning and the 2025 Spring Break EP, Harrison Gordon is now back with their Hopeless Records debut. BLISS packs 11 new songs of the emo/punk/indie variety and comes with a title in all caps because, well, you need to shout it. I think.
Across the album, the Illinois-based band - which originally started as a one-man project, hence the name - dishes out an almost absurd amount of energy, hooks, singalong moments and *gasps* guitar solos that I haven’t heard this side of PUP and Jeff Rosenstock.
The band eases into things during the first 30 seconds of opener “Weirdo,” but once their scrappy brand of energy is out of the box, there’s no putting it back. BLISS sure is a firecracker of an album, especially on cuts like “Like Me Less” and “Middle Name.”
Putting anxiety and frustration to music and having the words shouted back at you at sweaty basement shows sure is cheaper than a weekly visit to a therapist. It also sounds like a whole lot more fun.
BLISS track listing:
- Weirdo
- Milwaukee Josh
- Like Me Less
- Not Working! Not Working!
- Pretty
- Scab
- Sight of Blood
- Middle Name
- Oh God
- Buffalo Jim
- Bliss
Lacking the talent to actually play in a band, Tom decided he would write about bands instead. Turns out his writing skills are mediocre at best as well.
