Stream Your Heart Out: “Puppy Love”

By: Mom Jeans.

Genre: Emo, Indie

Tracks: “Jon Bong Jovi,” “PICKLE BART”

Not to be mistaken for the forever adored fashion trend, Mom Jeans. is an American rock band from Berkeley, California that started in 2014. They are most popularly known for their song “Edward 40Hands” their debut album “Best Buds.” Mom Jeans. dabbles in alternative rock and pop punk sounds to effortlessly create two of my favorite albums on the web.

The band consists of four members, Austin Carango, Eric Butler, Bart Thompson, and Gabriel Paganin. Although they started in 2014, the band has two albums, “Best Buds” and “Puppy Love.” You can also listen to them live on Audiotree. Along with their two albums, they also released two EPs, “Split” and “Now That’s What I Call Music Vol. 420.”

This is what the band states on their webpage, “Mom Jeans. are an effortlessly likeable group of friends who proudly embrace their love for sad punk and emo. The quartet is lauded for stream-of-consciousness lyrics and energetic performances that prompt audiences to shred their worries and simply bounce along. By trading the sappy for heartfelt and the melodramic for truthful, Mom Jeans. have created a brand of emo that’s self-aware but not self-indulgent.”

The band is quite popular in the pop punk community but has yet to reach the ‘mainstream’ level of music. The last album they produced came out in 2016, leaving listeners in a two year wait for the next. In the meantime, they released both EPs throughout 2017.

The band is currently on a co-headlining tour with Just Friends. Also touring with them is Shortly, Mover Shaker, Retirement Party, and Awake but Still in Bed. They will play in Pittsburgh on Nov. 6 at the Smiling Moose.

Mom Jeans. sound is very eclectic. Every song has its own sense of nostalgia tied to it. Some typical genre categories they fall in are emo, indie rock, pop punk, rock and power pop. While all can be true, it all depends to the listener.

While listening to the new album the lyrics are very melancholy with some optimistic rays. In general, the album is very sad with a lot of heavy instrumentals. It also includes some female vocals on a couple of tracks, which sounds great. It sounds like a grade A pop punk album, a lot of guitar riffs and drum beats. It is the more aggressive brother to “Best Buds” but carries the same break- up type themes. The album hints at depression and anxiety, which gives fans an outlet to relate. It talks heavily on mental health, giving it some awareness.

This album hits home with just about anyone who gives it a listen. Some of my favorites are “You Can’t Eat Cats, Kevin” and “Jon Bong Jovi” simply because I can resonate with the lyrics and they make you feel a nostalgic way.

So, if you want to have a self-reflective music journey, give Mom Jeans. a listen. They are arguably one of my favorite pop punk bands, and they could be yours too.