Mean Jeans

***Since forming in 2006, MEAN JEANS have become one of the better-known bands of the Pacific Northwest punk scene for their chaotic but relentless attack, raucous live shows, and fierce commitment to the art of partying. They brought the party to Fat in 2016 with their highly acclaimed Fat Wreck debut Tight New Dimension, followed by last year’s Jingles Collection—a 23-song assemblage of unsolicited jingles written for their favorite products. Gigantic Sike is the band's’ fifth full-length and falls into the same category as their prior albums—three-chord, heavily Ramones-influenced party punk, but with a bit of a twist. While the songs are fun and fast, there is a darker story being told of the bleak existence of a party boy. Each of the 11 tracks have an element of sadness and cynicism to them. On the surface, opening track “Party Line” is about a hotline you call when you’re ready to party. The hotline is singer BILLY JEANS' actual cell phone. No one is blowing up the party line anymore and everyone is moving on with their lives. “What the Fuck Is up Tonight?” describes the struggle between heeding the call to grow up, and the desire to live in the moment. Gigantic Sike’s mission statement concludes with its closing track. “Time Warp” is a fizzy, melodic number that serves as an exit strategy for the issues presented throughout the album—you have the ability to run away from all of the stupid decisions you’ve made in life, and take the time warp to start over again. It is a joke on the fantasy of sneaking out the backdoor on a crummy identity you didn’t necessarily mean to create. This underlying theme mixed with classic Mean Jeans like “Just a Trim (Don’t Buzz Me Alright)” and “I Fell into a Bog” has Mean Jeans at their best.