Half Divorced

by Pissed Jeans

Overview

In 2004, Pissed Jeans were four working stiffs who put some danger into their humdrum lives by forming a band that would give their bad karma a place to be heard, with raw, chaotic music that even by the standards of punk rock sounded righteously angry and lyrics that could sometimes be funny if it weren't for the blasts of bitter frustration that poured from Matt Korvette's voice box. If their music is in any way an accurate reflection of their lives, Pissed Jeans don't feel any better after two decades of modest success, and that's bad news for the group and good news for their fans, judging from their sixth studio album, 2024's Half Divorced. Still sounding like the unholy spawn of the Jesus Lizard, the Lazy Cowgirls, Blood Guts & Pussy-era Dwarves, and your creepy neighbor who is always screaming at his dog, Pissed Jeans have changed only so much since 2005's Shallow (or 2017's Why Love Now, for that matter). Guitarist Bradley Fry can generate something close to a melody while keeping the songs from sounding too musical, bassist Randy Huth and drummer Sean McGuinness sound like the best sort of train wreck backing him up, and Korvette's bottomless reserve of bile inspires awe as he spews his skull-crushing frustration with working-class debt, bad and overly attentive parents, his inability to relate to smart women, the theft of his car's catalytic converter, the endless frustrations of a low-level sex worker's career, and the reasonable life goals that are always just out of reach. One of the things that separate Pissed Jeans from most punk bands is their anger not only seems real and potentially lethal, but it reflects the stuff of ordinary lives, as relatable bedevilments fester into something with explosive force. Steve Albini once said that when he was in Big Black, he wrote about people doing horrible things so he wouldn't do them himself, and if there was ever another band that seemingly follows this path, it's Pissed Jeans. They even have their own corollary to "Kerosene" in "Junktime," in which a man takes joy in the purifying explosion of a butane tank. Amidst it all is one honestly hilarious number, "Everywhere Is Bad," in which the band recites a litany of places to go, and Korvette predictably and concisely sums up what's wrong with them. ("Seattle?" "You're soaking wet!" "Las Vegas?" "A losing bet!") It's one thing for a bunch of young dudes to pour out their angst like this, but it's something else altogether to hear it from guys settled into middle age, and Half Divorced is Pissed Jeans' chosen form of therapy for folks who really, REALLY don't like Mondays. Or most of the rest of the week. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	03/01/2024
Label:	Sub Pop
UPC:	0098787159905
Rank:	17756

Tracks

1. Killing All the Wrong People
2. Anti-Sapio
3. Helicopter Parent
4. Cling to a Poisoned Dream
5. Sixty-Two Thousand Dollars in Debt
6. Everywhere Is Bad
7. Junktime
8. Alive with Hate
9. Seatbelt Alarm Silencer
10. (Stolen) Catalytic Converter
11. Monsters
12. Moving On

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Pissed Jeans   Primary Artist
Sean McGuinness   Percussion,Drums
Matt Korvette   Vocals
Randall Huth   Bass,Guitar
Bradley Fry   Guitar
Mary Regalado   Vocals

Technical Credits

Sean McGuinness   Group Member
Matt Korvette   Composer,Lyricist,Group Member
Randall Huth   Group Member
Dusty Summers   Design,Art Direction
Arthur Rizk   Mastering
Pissed Jeans   Design,Mixing,Producer,Art Direction
Mike Petillo   Engineer
Bradley Fry   Group Member
Don Godwin   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Ebru Yildiz   Portraits
Kento Iida   Artwork
Pink Lincolns   Engineer,Composer