2023 was one of the best years of my life. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but it was probably the most productive year I’ve had in quite some time.
Even with the productivity, accomplishments, and lessons learned, there were obviously tough stretches, which is normal for just about everyone over the course of 365 days. When I’m in a tough spot, I sometimes use music as an avenue to let my emotions out, hence why I am a fan of some heavier subgenres of alternative rock.
And man, I have been starving for some quality punk music. I was on an 80’s punk/post-punk binge, with bands like The Replacements dominating my Spotify Wrapped by the end of the calendar year. But it was in the dog days of summer when one of punk’s best artists released his 7th full-length record.
Jeff Rosenstock released HELLMODE to the masses on August 31, 2023 to mass acclaim from critics and fans.
Oh wow, Jeff Rosenstock put out a record that received mass acclaim from the punk scene. Shocker!
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As I usually do, I put off listening to this one for a couple of weeks. But let me take you back to one, faithful night in the midst of September.
I was mentally preparing myself for a date I had the very next night, when I decided to open up Spotify to… I assume listen to the same old stuff I had been listening to for the previous ~2 months?
It was around this time where the TikTokification of Spotify was in full force, as they had recently introduced a feature where you can scroll through little tidbits of music videos and songs. It’s a feature that I don’t think I have used since.
I clicked on a crazy animation that just so happened to be a preview of the final track on HELLMODE, ‘3 SUMMERS.’ That snippet was all I needed. I was hooked. I went to the album, clicked play, and…
I mean, you already know how I feel about this record if you read the title.
HELLMODE is potentially the best punk release of the last ten years, and man, the latter half of the 2010’s especially had some extraordinary punk records. IDLES were on a roll dropping one quality record after the other, whilst Canadian pop-punk quartet, PUP, released maybe the best punk record of the decade with Morbid Stuff in 2019. So for this record to surpass all of that is wildly impressive.
Rosenstock accumulates a lot of different influences throughout punk, as it almost feels like an homage to punk’s past whilst incorporating more modern production and songwriting. This isn’t some derivative throwback record, it’s a modern day rager.
The theme of the album varies, with themes of self care, trauma, and trying to process the current state of the world. It seems to be a classic Jeff record in the sense of him basically treating these songs like journal entries. He’s such a restless thinker and always has something to share, making for an incredibly thoughtful record.
“Jeff very much sounds like he’s in a place right now where he is able to put a lot of what he’s going through in a more mature and poetic fashion.” – Anthony Fantano
‘WILL U STILL U’ doesn’t just kick the door down to open up the record, no, Jeff might as well have chucked TNT into the house and blown the place to smithereens ’cause this is one of the most explosive album openers I’ve ever heard. It’s rare to have a song that sets the tone for a record as well as this one.
There are BLAST BEATS in this song! He’s ripping material from the death metal playbook!
OH WAIT, YOU THOUGHT HE WAS DONE THERE? HOW ABOUT A SEEMLESS TRANSITION INTO ‘HEAD.’
The shouty, quick vocal delivery in the versus is contrasted perfectly by an absolute earworm of a chorus that will be sure to stick in your ‘HEAD’ like glue.
‘LIKED U BETTER’ was the first single for the record, and while it isn’t one of my absolute favourites on the record, it’s still a perfectly great thumpin’ punk rock jam.
‘DOUBT’ and ‘FUTURE IS DUMB’ is maybe the best back-to-back on the record.
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The former’s lyrics seem like a reminder that sometimes you just need to let your emotions take over (in a healthy matter, of course) and to, as he puts it, “kill all of the doubt.” It’s a slower tune that eventually builds into a chaotic frenzy by the end of the track, which then transitions into ‘FUTURE IS DUMB.’
This one is maybe my favourite on the entire record. A nuanced pop-punk banger with Jeff questioning a lot about the future of the world and his own personal life.
‘HEALMODE’ is another standout, and is a drastically different song compared to just about everything else on the album. It’s an acoustic ballad filled with heartfelt, empathetic lyricism, making for one of the best ballads I’ve ever heard.
Yeah, this album is pretty much flawless throughout. And although I wish I could talk more at length about these tracks, there’s one that requires some special attention.
Remember how I mentioned that the first song that I heard from this record was the closer? Well, that ended up being my *actual* favourite song from HELLMODE.
Sorry, ‘FUTURE IS DUMB.’
‘3 SUMMERS’ for me, is one of the greatest alternative rock songs of all time.
The beautiful thing about art is it can usually be interpreted in many different ways. The ways in which I interpret this song may be different from yours, or even Jeff’s, but just bare with me here.
The album’s grand finale is a 7-minute, mid-tempo opus which concludes this record flawlessly. But it’s so much more than that to me. ‘3 SUMMERS’ feels like a coming of age story rather than a pop-punk song. This isn’t a joke, but I once told a friend that this song is like music’s equivalent to ‘Good Will Hunting.’ Bold claim, I know.
The song always feels like a reminder that there are moments in life that are rewarding. Moments that should motivate us to keep living. It’s a reminder to be with the people you love and to have fun.
And man, when I hear that opening riff kick in, I visibly smile every single time. There are *very* few songs that have that type of effect on me. I think I may have honestly just found this song at the right time.
‘3 SUMMERS’ is an absolute triumph. A perfect closer. Full stop.
As for HELLMODE as a whole? It’s incredible. The emotional potency, raw performances, and quality songwriting combine for an adventurous journey. The album feels way shorter than it’s run time and it’s a blast throughout its duration.
I have only given nine records a score of 10/10, but that’s all about to change.
FINAL SCORE: 10/10
This has catapulted itself into my personal top ten favourite records of all time. I just keep going back to it. There hasn’t been a single song I’ve gotten even remotely tired of, whilst also providing me with one of my favourite songs… ever!
It’s consistent, it’s loud, it’s an emotional powerhouse, and it’s my favourite record that 2023 had to offer.
Take a bow, Jeff.