Why Love Now

Last updated
Why Love Now
PissedJeansWhyLoveNow.jpg
Studio album by
Pissed Jeans
ReleasedFebruary 16, 2017
StudioSpice House Sound, Philadelphia
Genre
Length37:06
Label Sub Pop
Producer
Pissed Jeans chronology
Honeys
(2013)		Why Love Now
(2017)		 Half Divorced
(2024)
Singles from Why Love Now
  1. "The Bar is Low"
    Released: November 15, 2016
  2. "Ignorecam"
    Released: January 11, 2017

Why Love Now is the fifth studio album by American hardcore punk band Pissed Jeans, debuting via streaming on February 16, 2017 through Noisey and released to other formats by Sub Pop on February 24. The album covers issues related to gender relations, misogyny, and white male privilege, one critic labeling it as "preëmptive self-critique, an attempt to defang male aggression by letting it feed on itself." The band produced Why Love Now with no wave artist Lydia Lunch, who strictly controlled how the group worked on the record, and metal musician Arthur Rizk, who handled the technical aspects. Why Love Now was positively received by critics, who praised its use of uncomfortable lyrical themes, and landed at number 24 on the American Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.

Contents

Production

No wave artist Lydia Lunch was one of the producers on Why Love Now. Lydia Lunch - Comedie du Livre 2010 - P1390454.jpg
No wave artist Lydia Lunch was one of the producers on Why Love Now.

Two people handled the production of Why Love Now: metal musician Arthur Rizk was responsible for the technical aspects, and No wave singer Lydia Lunch controlled the behavior of the band as well as contributed to the feminine undertones of the album's themes. [3] As Lunch recalled her time being contacted by the group to contribute to the album, "My first question was, 'What's the lyrical content?' Matt told me, 'I have a song about women getting paid to ignore men on the Internet.' Then I was like, 'Yeah? I'm in!" [3] Lunch was very strict towards the band, which singer Matt Korvette praised: [3] "I knew she wasn’t a traditional producer. I like how she’s so cool and really intimidating. She ended up being so fucking awesome and crazy. She was super into it, constantly threatening to bend us over the bathtub." [4]

Composition

Sub Pop's press release states the lyrics of Why Love Now are about the "mundane discomforts of modern life" and "the bursting seams that are barely holding 21st-century life together." [4] A major theme is problems resulting from gender relations, [4] misogyny, [5] and white male privilege. [6] Writer Dan Piepenbring  [ de ] categorized the album as a "preëmptive self-critique, an attempt to defang male aggression by letting it feed on itself." [6] While themes of male privilege existed on previous Pissed Jeans albums, they're the "deepest" on Why Love Now, wrote Pitchfork 's Evan Rytlewski. [7] Rytlewski also analyzed the lyrics occasionally goes into "Korvette’s usual digressions" such as "sugary snacks, laugh-tracked sitcoms, astrology, and the like" in order to "balance" the album's tone. [7] The LP also features the same type of workplace commentary as on the band's previous album Honeys (2013), such as on the song "Have You Ever Been Furniture?," which lambasts "menial, underappreciated jobs," PopMatters stated. [5] Musically, Why Love Now is the most high fidelity and melodic release in Pissed Jeans' discography, [7] [8] one critic noting that it would be "virtually unidentifiable as a Pissed Jeans [album] if not for Korvette’s phlegmy ogre routine." [7]

Novelist Lindsay Hunter appears on the spoken word track "I'm A Man" [3] to deliver an office-based discussion involving innuendo spoken through objects such as pens and coffee. [4] Korvette became friends with Hunter after she mentioned the Pissed Jeans song "False Jesii Part 2" in a Fanzine interview. [3] He was shocked by Hunter's writing for the song, reasoning that it was about a "plausible, real person" rather than "a ghoul that does sickening, gory things." [9] He said in an interview with Noisey , "Even when I heard it for the first time I was totally cringing and running down the list of descriptions she had for this character that I'm like "fuck, I've probably done that." [9] "Not Even Married" is Korvette's "response" to "regular" men in their mid-20s getting depressed after breaking up. [9] Korvette said in regards to his inspiration of the song, "You don't know what you're talking about till you sell your house and living above a bar trying to see you kids on weekends." [9]

"It’s Your Knees" criticizes males who make fun of the anxiety of other women. [7] "Ignorecam" is about a man who gets pleasure from a webcam model's lack of interest in him. [6] "Love Without Emotion" regards males who are callous to females, Korvette singing, "You’re vomiting next to me / While I finish my ice cream." [6] "Cold Whip Cream" is about "the pressures of being straight," a commentary on the fears of men that come with their sexual attraction: "Nervous and excited with all these thoughts / Lying awake in bed / Ever since a teen wondering when you’d finally catch a smell / But what if you go to hell?" [6] "The Bar Is Low" criticizes systems that honor all males for doing everything, even the smallest of things: "You haven’t climbed a mountain / Barely walked up a hill / But that’s good as gold / ’Cause you’ve never killed / Held down a job / Even snagged a raise / Right there you’re due for / Effusive praise." [6]

Release and promotion

Two singles were released from Why Love Now: "The Bar is Low" on November 15, 2016 [10] and "Ignorecam" on January 11, 2017. [11] Noisey premiered the album via streaming on February 16, 2017 [9] before Sub Pop issued it to other formats (Compact disc, digital, cassette tape, and vinyl) on February 24. [11] A music video for "The Bar is Low" was released the same day. [12] Directed by Joe Stakun, who previously directed videos for other Pissed Jeans songs such as "Bathroom Laughter" and "Romanticize Me," the video is a "clinic on all the things not to do at the gym," Billboard summarized. [13] A five-show tour supporting it lasted from February 23 to March 11, 2017, shows located in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Washington, D.C., and Somerville, Massachusetts. [11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Album of the Year79/100 [14]
AnyDecentMusic?7.3/10 [15]
Metacritic 76/100 [16]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [17]
Classic Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [18]
Drowned in Sound 9/10 [19]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [20]
Magnet Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [16]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [16]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Pitchfork 7.9/10 [7]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]

Drowned in Sound called Why Love Now a "glorious, if uncomfortable, masterpiece." [19] The Line of Best Fit stated that it was a "tour de force of high octane refrains and filth-driven focus," "lay[s] waste to rationalisation and set[s] standards straight." [21] Spin magazine opined it "furthers the argument for Pissed Jeans as one of our era’s best punk bands," praising the group's experimentation with their sound and Korvette's panache method of delivering the lyrical themes: "By sending up everyday drudgery and casual cruelty with such inimitable style, the band offers an alternative to lowering your head and grinding through each day until you wake up one morning without a soul." [22] Paul Carr, in a PopMatters review, praised Korvette's "harsh, wild man howl and caustic wit," claiming "he is in inspired form throughout with lines begging to be unpacked over time." [5] He also applauded the increased flexibility in the group's sound. [5] DIY magazine noted the "united sense of purpose" from all members of the group: "Each has their individual moments to shine, but all seem united and firmly committed to the common cause of rallying against the kind of masculinity that it seems absurd we still need to oppose in 2017." [23]

A common praise was Why Love Now's uncomfortable subject matter. [19] [20] [3] Critic Josh Gray humorously called it a "brash ballache of an album that will make you hate yourself as much as it makes you hate the world." [24] Gray also noted how "truly terrifying" the LP was in that some of its disturbing lyrics are "familiar" in the real world. [24] Rolling Stone claimed, "Whereas yesterday's shock-jock punks provoked show-goers with SS garb and imagery, or seasoned their lyrics with racial slurs and homicidal fantasies, Korvette has crafted a remarkably different kind of strategy for startling his audiences: making men like himself seem insignificant – or at least gruelingly self-aware – in the spaces they once dominated." [3] On Louder Than War 's list of the 100 best albums of 2017, Why Love Now placed number 24. [25]

Track listing

Why Love Now track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Waiting On My Horrible Warning"4:16
2."The Bar Is Low"3:15
3."Ignorecam"2:58
4."Cold Whip Cream"2:36
5."Love Without Emotion"4:00
6."I'm a Man"2:39
7."(Won't Tell You) My Sign"2:43
8."It's Your Knees"3:33
9."Worldwide Marine Asset Financial Analyst"1:26
10."Have You Ever Been Furniture"2:38
11."Activia"4:27
12."Not Even Married"2:35
Total length:37:06

Personnel

Music

Artwork

Charts

Chart performance for Why Love Now
Chart (2017)Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums ( Billboard ) [26] 24

Release history

Release history and formats for Why Love Now
RegionDateFormat(s)Label
WorldwideFebruary 16, 2017 Streaming Noisey [9]
February 24, 2017
 Sub Pop [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screamo</span> Aggressive subgenre of emo

Screamo is a subgenre of emo that emerged in the early 1990s and emphasizes "willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics". San Diego–based bands Heroin and Antioch Arrow pioneered the genre in the early 1990s, and it was developed in the late 1990s mainly by bands from the East Coast of the United States such as Pg. 99, Orchid, Saetia, and I Hate Myself. Screamo is strongly influenced by hardcore punk and characterized by the use of screamed vocals. Lyrical themes usually include emotional pain, death, romance, and human rights. The term "screamo" has frequently been mistaken as referring to any music with screaming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deerhoof</span> American band

Deerhoof is an American musical group formed in San Francisco in 1994. They consist of founding drummer Greg Saunier, bassist and singer Satomi Matsuzaki, and guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez. Beginning as an improvised noise punk band, Deerhoof became widely renowned and influential in the 2000s through their self-produced albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beach House</span> American indie rock duo

Beach House is an American indie band formed in Baltimore in 2004 by current members Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally. Their work is characterized by a hypnotic dream pop style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pissed Jeans</span> American hardcore punk band

Pissed Jeans is an American hardcore punk band from Allentown, Pennsylvania. The band claims to play "loud, heavy, noisy, punk rock" and is influenced by 1980s hardcore punk and post-hardcore bands. The band has released six albums and seven singles, and are currently signed to record label Sub Pop in Seattle.

<i>King of Jeans</i> 2009 studio album by Pissed Jeans

King of Jeans is the third studio album by noise rock/hardcore punk band Pissed Jeans, released on September 18, 2009. It is their second album for Sub Pop Records, and their first album working with English producer Alex Newport. Like most of the band's releases, the album features banal lyrics and atonal and abrasive guitar rock. It has been well received by critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Happy Now? (No Doubt song)</span> 1997 single by No Doubt

"Happy Now?" is a song by American band No Doubt for their third studio album, Tragic Kingdom (1995). It was written by Gwen Stefani, Tom Dumont, and Tony Kanal, produced by Matthew Wilder, and released as the record's sixth single overall on September 23, 1997. The commercial CD singles were distributed exclusively in Australia and Europe. However, the song was still released to radio stations in the United States. Musically, "Happy Now?" is a power pop, ska punk, and rock song with and lyrics detailing a painful breakup, specifically the former relationship between Stefani and Kanal. Despite not receiving a formal release in the United States nor filming a proper music video, "Happy Now?" received heavy rotation on Californian radio stations, such as KROQ.

Trapped Under Ice is an American hardcore punk band from Baltimore, Maryland that was formed in 2007. Since then they have released an EP and three full-length albums. Taking influence from New York hardcore, the band has toured all over the world and was signed to Reaper Records. On August 11, 2013, Trapped Under Ice played its last show at Philadelphia's The Electric Factory at This Is Hardcore Festival 2013. The band announced their reunion in early 2015. In 2017 they released their third LP, Heatwave, on Pop Wig Records.

"M.A.A.D City" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his second studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). The song, which appears as the eighth track on the album, features a guest appearance from fellow Compton native and West Coast rapper MC Eiht. The song was produced by Top Dawg in-house producers THC and Sounwave for the first part of the instrumental, and Terrace Martin for the second part. The song peaked at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>Honeys</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Pissed Jeans

Honeys is the fourth studio album released on February 12, 2013, by the Allentown, Pennsylvania based band Pissed Jeans, and their third since signing to US label Sub Pop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low Cut Connie</span> American rock and roll band

Low Cut Connie is an American rock and roll band based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Low Cut Connie has become the alter ego for frontman, pianist, and songwriter Adam Weiner, who has been the band's only constant member since its formation. Beginning as an impromptu recording session in 2010, Low Cut Connie gradually evolved into a vehicle for Weiner's songwriting and his onstage persona. The band has earned praise for its high-energy live performances, which Los Angeles Weekly described as "unmatched in all of rock right now." NPR Music described Weiner as "masterfully fluent in the foundational languages of Western pop." Low Cut Connie has also gained notoriety for attracting high-profile endorsements such as a surprise inclusion on Barack Obama's Spotify Summer Playlist in 2015, and a personal association with Elton John, who has called the band one of his favorites. Drummer/bassist Jarae Lewis joined in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tacocat</span> American feminist pop punk quartet

Tacocat is an American punk rock band from Seattle, founded in 2007 and consisting of Emily Nokes, Bree McKenna, Lelah Maupin, and Eric Randall. They gained popularity in 2014 following the release of their second album NVM, engineered by Conrad Uno. The album received positive reviews in the music press, including from Pitchfork, AllMusic, and PopMatters, and also reached the CMJ top 10 college radio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Regrettes</span> American punk rock band

The Regrettes were an American punk rock band from Los Angeles. The band was led by frontwoman Lydia Night. They released three studio albums on Warner Records: Feel Your Feelings Fool! (2017), How Do You Love? (2019), and Further Joy (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mom Jeans</span> American emo band

Mom Jeans is an American alternative rock/indie rock band formed in Berkeley, California, in 2014.

<i>Guppy</i> (album) 2017 studio album by Charly Bliss

Guppy is the debut album by Brooklyn power pop group Charly Bliss, consisting of Eva Hendricks, Spencer Fox, Sam Hendricks (drums), and Dan Shure. The group wrote it over the course of four years and recorded two versions of it: one tracked in 2015, which they rejected because it was not "fun", and a more pop-infused version recorded in early 2016 that was released by Barsuk Records in April 2017. The album contains a harsh 1990s-esque alternative rock sound with lyrics that deal with emotional vulnerability.

<i>Nightmare Logic</i> 2017 studio album by Power Trip

Nightmare Logic is the second studio album by American thrash metal band Power Trip. It was released on February 24, 2017 through Southern Lord Records and was met with critical acclaim. This marked the second collaboration with producer Arthur Rizk, having previously worked with Rizk on their debut album Manifest Decimation (2013). This is the last Power Trip studio album to feature vocalist Riley Gale before he died on August 24, 2020.

<i>Beyondless</i> 2018 studio album by Iceage

Beyondless is the fourth studio album by Danish punk rock band Iceage. The album was released through Matador on 4 May 2018.

<i>Die Lit</i> 2018 studio album by Playboi Carti

Die Lit is the debut studio album by American rapper Playboi Carti. It was released through AWGE and Interscope Records on May 11, 2018. The album consists of 19 tracks and features a wide range of guest appearances from artists including Skepta, Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, Pi'erre Bourne, Nicki Minaj, Bryson Tiller, Chief Keef, Gunna, Red Coldhearted, Young Thug, and Young Nudy. Production was executively handled by Pi'erre Bourne, alongside several other record producers, including Don Cannon, IndigoChildRick, Maaly Raw, Art Dealer and Playboi Carti himself. The album serves as a follow-up to his debut self-titled mixtape (2017).

<i>Half Divorced</i> 2024 studio album by Pissed Jeans

Half Divorced is the sixth studio album by American hardcore punk band Pissed Jeans, released on March 1, 2024, through Sub Pop. It is their first album in seven years, following 2017's Why Love Now. The album was produced by the band with Dan Godwin, and was preceded by the lead single "Moving On", released alongside the album announcement on January 8.

"Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe)" is a 2017 song by American thrash metal band Power Trip, released as the second single from their second studio album Nightmare Logic. According to the song's vocalist Riley Gale, its lyrics are inspired by the practice of paying a fee to executioners in medieval Europe for a painless death, which he applied to the political climate at the time. The song was generally praised by critics, particularly for the performance of Gale and guitarists Blake Ibanez and Nick Stewart. A live version of the song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 Fitzpatrick, Will (January 23, 2017). "Pissed Jeans – Why Love Now". The Skinny . Radge Media. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  2. ↑ Pearlman, Mischa. "Pissed Jeans – Why Love Now". Record Collector . Diamond Publishing. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Exposito, Suzy (February 23, 2017). "Pissed Jeans Talk Blending Cringe Comedy, Feminist Thought on New LP". Rolling Stone . Wenner Media.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Why Love Now by Pissed Jeans". Sub Pop. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Carr, Paul (February 22, 2017). "Pissed Jeans: Why Love Now". PopMatters . Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Piepenbring, Dan  [ de ] (April 10, 2017). "A Punk Band That Knows “The Bar Is Low” for Straight White Men". The New Yorker Condé Nast. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rytlewski, Evan (March 1, 2017). "Pissed Jeans: Why Love Now Album Review". Pitchfork . Conde Nast. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  8. 1 2 Empire, Kitty (February 26, 2017). "Pissed Jeans: Why Love Now review – tuneful, witty filth". The Observer . Guardian Media Group. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 O'Connor, Andy (February 16, 2017). "Stream Pissed Jeans' Fierce New Album 'Why Love Now'". Noisey . Vice Media. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  10. ↑ White, Rachel (November 15, 2016). "Listen to "The Bar is Low" off Pissed Jeans' Forthcoming NEW Record, 'Why Love Now' (out Feb. 2017)". Sub Pop Official Website. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  11. 1 2 3 4 White, Rachel (January 11, 2017). "Pissed Jeans' "Ignorecam" Is The Crushing New Track From Forthcoming Album 'Why Love Not' (out Feb. 24)". Sub Pop Official Website. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  12. ↑ Nieto, Frank (February 24, 2017). "Watch Pissed Jeans' New Video "The Bar is Low"; New Album 'Why Love Now' Out NOW". Sub Pop Official Website. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  13. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (February 24, 2017). "Pissed Jeans Have No Idea How a Gym Works in 'The Bar is Low' Video: Watch". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Pissed Jeans – Why Love Now". Album of the Year. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Why Love Now by Pissed Jeans reviews". AnyDecentMusic? Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  16. 1 2 3 "Critic Reviews for Why Love Now". Metacritic. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  17. ↑ Christopher Monger, James. "Why Love Now – Pissed Jeans". AllMusic. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  18. ↑ Marszalek, Julian (February 24, 2017). "Pissed Jeans – Why Love Now album review". Classic Rock . Future PLC. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  19. 1 2 3 Doherty, Jack (February 24, 2017). "Album Review: Pissed Jeans – Why Love Now". Drowned in Sound . Silentway. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  20. 1 2 Simpson, Dave (February 23, 2017). "Pissed Jeans: Why Love Now review – a fun, debauched, ear-perforating din". The Guardian . Guardian Media Group. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  21. ↑ Goodman, Jessica (February 13, 2017). "Pissed Jeans tear 21st century standards to tatters on Why Love Now". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  22. ↑ Cush, Andy (February 24, 2017). "Review: On Why Love Now, Pissed Jeans Explore the Lighter Side of Everyday Agony". Spin . SpinMedia. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  23. ↑ Rindner, Grant (February 24, 2017). "Pissed Jeans - Why Love Now". DIY . Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  24. 1 2 Gray, Josh (February 23, 2017). "Pissed Jeans – Why Love Now". Clash . Music Republic Ltd. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Louder Than War Issue 13 – Best Of 2017". Louder than War . Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Pissed Jeans Why Love Now Chart History". Heatseekers Albums. Billboard . Retrieved January 24, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.