oh hey great

weselec:

This song still gives me chills. I heard it on the radio last night. The radio!

The whole album was extraordinarily strong, which at the time was saying a lot given that Jawbreaker had just come off of 24-Hour Revenge Therapy, widely regarded as their best album and one of the most beloved records of the middle emo era. They went major, brought a frighteningly polished sound, and somehow managed to make old fans happy. And of course the album was a commercial disaster.

Man oh man, were these some dark years. When I thought too much of myself, Jawbreaker was there. When I thought too little of myself, Jawbreaker was there. And when smoking was all I could muster the emotional energy for, Jawbreaker was most definitely there.

They were the perfect thing to have around when going through that awkward, ridiculous, white, privileged, woe-is-me period of turning into a Big Boy, when everything is about you. They had a way of patting you on the back, while saying to your face, “You are very small.”

Jawbreaker : I Love You So Much It’s Killing Us Both : Dear You

When I was 18 and in the early years of a long and dark decade of my own, I saw Jawbreaker play in support of what was at the time their new album, 24-Hour Revenge Therapy. It was at the Bear’s Lair, a little tiny venue on the Cal campus. It remains one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. I still have the t-shirt and I still sleep in it.

Jawbreaker. This band. God, I love this band.

Also, I love the phrase “the middle emo era.”