Back in March, when this project was in its infancy, I began listening to every band that Gareth Campesinos! had ever tweeted about, and I liked most of what I heard. From Sky Larkin to Slow Club, and Abe Vigoda to Dananananaykroyd, I was loving all of the over-the-top indie pop that I was finally getting to hear. But there was one band stood above the rest. Johnny Foreigner and their Waited Up Til it was Light blew me away, with a sound reminiscent of old Los Campesinos!, but still completely their own.
Well, my preorder of their newest release, Johnny Foreigner vs. Everything, came in today. The title alone tells you all you need to know about the melodrama and angst engraved in this record—that heart-on-sleeve nature of this band is just one of the things I love about them, though. Split into three different parts and seventeen different songs, this album could have very easily been a train wreck. But JoFo have once again found the perfect balance between insightful introspection and just plain self-indulgence.
Coming just days after I made the realization that Los Campesinos! will never again be that spunky, youthful, tweexcore band that I fell in love with, this record fell through my mail slot at the perfect time. There’s still a band out there with a sound that I consider spot-on at this time in my life.
No, I don’t really understand why this album was split into three parts. Yes, the song names are often ridiculous. Okay, the use of “yr” instead of “your” is a tad middle school-esque (could someone explain that one to me? Titus Andronicus does it too). All of these little quirks and eccentricities are what give this record its personality. Well that, and the huge lyric book that came along with my copy. This record has heart, and this band kicks ass.
Swole Ear 
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