Album Review: Jurassic Shark - Blue School
By Jonathan Fuchs, Copy Editor
[Resistor; 2016]
Rating: 4.5/5
Key Tracks: “Stepped Out,” “Vans,” “Blue School”
In the early spring of 2014, California-based indie band Jurassic Shark released Miracle, its debut EP. It couldn’t have been a better summer soundtrack for confused, angst-filled teenagers who smoke weed in their crusty basements and skate in 7-Eleven parking lots. It was an EP that was overlooked by so many, and it continues to be a very underrated release. Two years later, the band returns with Blue School, an EP that keeps in the sound of Miracle but improves on production and sound quality.
Blue School’s songs are very similar to its predecessor in terms of style and lyrical content, but the production is a lot clearer and the vocals feel more confident. This helps bring out a lot of the emotions each track contains. “Stepped Out,” the first song on the EP, introduces the rest of the release’s fast tempos, intoxicatingly catchy riffs and sweet vocals, spitting out great lyrics like “But we don’t usually mind / Especially if you’re friends with us / We’re all just passing by / Trying to gain each other’s trust” that will bring out the angst in any suburban teen.
The rest of Blue School goes in this direction without ever feeling uninspired or tiring. The remaining four songs all stay in this style while still having plenty of personality. “Vans,” one of the best songs Jurassic Shark has ever released, shows the band take a very fast, punkish approach to their material, while “Carver” and “Best Left” present to the listener what the band still has up its sleeves, even when they stick to the same exact sound from Miracle. Although it may not present anything extremely new, Blue School is still one of the most impressive releases of the year so far, especially since it comes from such an overlooked band. Hopefully this EP is the release that makes Jurassic Shark more of a household name in the Pitchfork-indie crowd.
