Leave it to a band named after a sleepy Seinfeld character to create one of the more urgent and upbeat records out of Boston this year. That band would be Jean Paul Jean Paul, the vibrant indie rock sextet that unveils sophomore album "It Comes Back", the culmination of a series of singles that allowed the disparate styles and sounds showcased on the record to bloom like chapters in an overarching story.
The follow-up to 2022 debut Pollyanna, which boasted a Boston Emissions’ Song of the Year in “Bruiser,” this 11-track effort from Jean Paul Jean Paul finds desire at its thematic core, weaving tales of love, heartbreak, self-reflection, pain and joy as the cyclical nature of life plays out through a genre spectrum of guitar-rock that blends elements of jangle-pop, alt-rock, folk, reggae, grunge, and what the band itself dubs “guitarmonies” across a tireless sprint of a 30-minute run time.
There’s no sleeping in here. “One major component that we all were striving for with this album was to capture the raw energy that these songs have when we play them live on stage,” says bassist Christopher Cornell. “Not to make a live album, per se, but to somehow thread that needle of raw live energy with amazing production value. The band isn’t afraid to incorporate any and all styles of music to avoid running the risk of becoming stagnant. We’re pulling from all of our roots and at the same time being open to what’s new.”
Produced, engineered, and mixed by Benny Grotto and recorded at Mad Oak Studios in the band’s home base of Allston, It Comes Back kicks off with a fury through lead track and album release single “Jai alai,” a song penned by vocalist and guitarist Steve Harding on a beach during a trip to Fort Lauderdale during the Covid shutdown. It’s a ripper of a tune that sets an instant mood for the album, and lyrically revolves around a person who rediscovered their mojo after suddenly losing it, and reveling in the ability to bounce back – hence the album’s title.
“As much fun as writing this last record has been, we’re already working on the next one,” declares drummer Andy Gelb. “We’ve got some fun new genres and musical ideas we want to tackle, and we can’t wait to start intertwining these new riffs in our live set.”
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