HELLMODE – Jeff Rosenstock ★★★★

Year	Album	Artist	Stars	Score	Genre
2023	HELLMODE	Jeff Rosenstock	★★★★	82	Rock	Punk

Jeff Rosenstock has done everything someone can in the punk world over the past two decades — headbanging, anarchist guitar and bass riffs; pop punk structures and anthemic group sing climaxes; ska, emo, alternative and indie rock instrumentation; melodic harmonization, hardcore screaming, and spoken word passages — all while celebrating and embracing his carefree punk lifestyle by singing about non-stop partying, politics, relationships and internal conflicts. 

Despite its name, 2023’s HELLMODE is actually one of Rosenstock’s least self-destructive records. There’s still plenty of thrashing guitar parts, drums that pound through you and fun, sing-along hooks. But the message is more about identifying who you really are, distancing yourself from those things and people you acknowledge are bringing you down, and reshaping your life so you can enjoy it the way you think you should, without having to worry about the expectations placed on you.

Even as the songs talk about his personal struggles facing the expectations he has for himself in music, or expressing his political views or just figuring out how to appreciate and accept his own happiness, the overall message encourages self reflection and preservation (if not always of the physical body). 

Top to bottom, the record is pretty darn easy to listen to. The opener brings classic Rosenstock energy, with a song that builds to an anthemic,  group-sung chorus. “Head” is a raucous mosher. “Liked You Better” opens with a fun, acoustic chord progression and a repetitive, pop punk chorus. “Doubt” leans more toward 90s alternative rock (there’s some Dinosaur Jr.-esque guitar work in there), while “Healmode” is a beautifully tender and reflective track. And the final two tracks do a really nice job balancing softer guitar work and sections with these grand, concluding moments with layered production, backing vocals and soloing guitars.