Wallsocket – underscores ★★★★

Year	Album	Artist	Stars	Score	Genre
2023	Wallsocket	underscores	★★★★	84	Pop	Pop Rock	Hyper Pop

Over the past 5 years or so, there have been a number of these super online sounding, schizophrenic kinds of albums with wild mood swings, genre and tempo switches and hyper, sometimes synthesized vocals, that can be both captivating and baffling. 

Wallsocket, a concept album by April Harper Grey, aka underscores, is probably the best of them I’ve listened to, excelling because the swings feel more purposeful than many of the other records like it, which oftentimes come across as as too noisy, chaotic or weird just for the sake of being meme-ish. 

Even though Wallsocket is full of hyper pop energy and youthfulness, the instrumentals are interesting without being overly glitchy or synthesized — with underscores drawing musical elements and swagger from different eras of pop, rock, electronic and even country music. Most of the tracks are either these catchy, upbeat bangers that’ll make you want to rock out, or these dark, really reflective ballads. Somehow, she does both equally well. 

underscores biggest strength, though, is that she really knows how to write a hook. You’ll have a blast singing “When’s the last time you saw someone with a ski mask and a gun?” and she tells you how she robbed a bank as an inside job on the energetic opening track “Cops and Robbers,” which uses fast drums and punk-style guitars before an abrupt time change for a slower, more glitchy electronic middle section that builds back up for a thrilling rock conclusion. The fusion of dance pop and pop punk on “Locals (Girls like us)” will really get you moving, singing and clapping along to the chorus, as will the synth-rock elements on “Old Money Bitch.”  “Seventyseven Dog Years” and “Shoot to kill, kill your darlings” are delightful tracks with 1990s-influenced indie pop percussion and acoustic work. And of course, you’ll be singing along to the infectious melody and chorus of “Johnny, Johnny, Johnny” until you realize it’s about an 11-year-old girl getting seduced by an adult online.  

“Geez louise” is the most ambitions (and longest) song on the record, with four distinct parts that all work together really nicely: an aggressive pop punk opening, then an acoustic, western, outlaw verse that fades into a soft, tender, dream pop sections that build to a grand, loud wall of sounds by the end. 

Those high-energy moments are counterbalanced nicely with the soft songs. The ballads use slow guitar, ambient pop effects and surprisingly moving lyrics that make for some highly emotional moments that are oftentimes eerie and isolating. “Duhhhhhhhhhhhhhh” and “You don’t even know who I am” are probably my favorites of the set. 

It’s not a perfect record. At points, the mix does get a little muddy and loud. And, at 53 minutes in length, there is a lot to digest, from the detailed narrative underscores is trying to tell, to the different layers of instrumentation thrown at you back to back to back. But it’s definitely a fun ride.