Atlanta’s New Junk City are back, and this time they’re armed with two new songs that will appear on an upcoming 7″ split with Tempe, Arizona punk duo Robot (Re)Pair. Today, we’re proud to premiere one of those tracks, “Everything Good,” the first glimpse of new material since the band’s 2014 self-titled EP.
Vocalist/guitarist John Vournakis seems to be the subject of an interrogation under a bright light for this number, while drummer Jeff Claxton, bassist Zac Hobbs, and guitarist Justin Gilbert lay the groundwork for one of New Junk City’s best songs to date. If you’ve followed the band in any capacity since their inception, you’ll know exactly what to expect: boisterous guitars, driving rhythms, and fervent heart-on-sleeve vocals that are as intense as they are infectious. It would be easy to write NJC off as boilerplate melodic punk, but to put it plainly, the band is just too damn earnest and clever to overlook. And besides, you should never mistake catchiness for simplicity. Despite the band’s high-energy pyrotechnics, “Everything Good” is about depression and the suffocating feeling that arrives when your favorite things stop bringing you pleasure or a sense of self-worth. “I try to play my guitar / I try to think about her body / anything to get me off,” Vournakis croons bluntly. “I don’t know how I get this way / when everything good just goes away.”
As far as the video is concerned, it’s fairly straightforward found footage that’s been neatly edited together, but the classic Betty Boop imagery and snappy pacing somehow sit well with the band’s sad sack anthem. Without access to much of a budget, the band is wise to do the music do the heavy lifting, and a song this raucous and tuneful can carry an awful lot of weight.
The New Junk City/Robot (Re)Pair split has a tentative release date for June 16 via Arizona-based Night Animal Records. Pre-orders are available here.
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Facebook: @newjunkcityatl
Basecamp: newjunkcityatl.bandcamp.com
Twitter: @newjunkcityatl