2023 has been kind of a bad trip so far, huh? Whether it’s the cowardice of the Atlanta City Council, the volumes of anti-LGTBQ+ legislation being advanced, amateur submariners imploding, or the rollback of affirmative action, it hasn’t felt like a landmark year for empathy. Some days I wake up and I’m not sure if I like anyone or anything at all. And the way it’s looking, I think any of us could be forgiven for feeling profoundly cynical.
So when you think about it, 2023 is kind of the perfect time for Jake Cook to drop J E R K S, a concept album steeped in exploring narcissism and confronting, in his words, “the dickhead within.” Throughout the record, listeners are taken on a transformative journey as they witness the protagonist’s gradual evolution from extreme arrogance to eventual enlightenment in a tragic final act. Cook vividly portrays the character’s flaws through specific instances of self-centered behavior and lack of compassion, making their general douchebaggery palpable.
In the end, however, the protagonist’s journey towards redemption becomes an exploration of the power of love and human connection. It’s a long arc but what ultimately makes the metamorphosis possible is the experience of deep loss and the harrowing grief that accompanies it.
On “Some Day” Cook pulls a fabulous rabbit out of the hat. By pairing lyrics from the perspective of a supremely unlikeable character with an undeniably light yet danceable groove, he plays a marvelous trick on his listener. It’s a chimera that manages to be apocalyptic, slyly funky, and gloriously tongue-in-cheek. Or put another way, it’s very 2023, complete with the underlying froth of anger and bitter resentment. “Forgot all my coping skills and I don’t have the will to relearn / And fuck your concern,” he sings, the implicit grievance obscured by pulsing keys and a snappy backbeat.
“The song was written in the week after we dug a hole and buried our dog,” Cook says. “It really just flowed out of me. In terms of difficult emotions to deal with, there’s truly nothing like grief. It’s a giant monolith that makes all your normal everyday depression and anxiety pale in comparison. It is true oblivion. The wall of noise at the end of the song represents that feeling. I added it after I saw Lingua Ignota live and had my fucking mind exploded.”
Listen below.
J E R K S is out Sept. 1.
Jake Cook will perform on Fri., Aug. 25 at Boggs Social & Supply alongside Y’all, Evan Stepp & the Piners, and No Yonder. Doors open at 8 p.m. Admission is $15. 21+ to enter.
More Info
Web: jakecookaudio.com
Bandcamp: jakecook1.bandcamp.com
Instagram: @jakecookaudio