Jawbreaker are without a doubt one of the most influential bands of all time, let’s get that out of the way first. Whether you know it or not, the three piece from New York have inspired most of your favourite bands, and in fact probably inspired your favourite band’s favourite bands. Nirvana invited them to join them on their ‘In Utero’ tour, they have been covered by Foo Fighters, Fall Out Boy, Lucero and countless others, and Mark Hoppus of Blink 182 once proclaimed that universities should offer courses analysing their lyrics. As part of a new feature here at Punktastic, and in light of the recent reissue, we take a look back their 1994 classic ’24 Hour Revenge Therapy’.
Cast your mind back to the music scene of 1994, 3 years after ‘The Year That Punk Broke’, and a time when you couldn’t move for guitar bands being all over the radio and music television. Nirvana were selling out bigger venues than anyone could have anticipated, ‘grunge fashion’ was more popular than ever, and Green Day had just released their first major label album ‘Dookie’, and we all know how big they would end up becoming. One week after the ‘Dookie’ LP was released, Jawbreaker’s third album ’24 Hour Revenge Therapy’ came out via the independent Tupelo label, a far cry from the major’s that were touting rock music to the masses. Their prior albums ‘Unfun’ and ‘Bivouac’ had already garnered them a cult following, with teenagers across America finding solace in front man Blake Schwarzenbach’s deeply personally lyrics, all of which were amplified on ’24 Hour Revenge Therapy’.
The majority of the album was recorded in Chicago under the watchful eye of legendary noisemaker Steve Albini, and an additional session with Bill Anderson in San Francisco where the band had re-located the previous year. The result was a raw and unpolished album. The heart-on-sleeve lyrics of Schwarzenbach however, make the album warmly inviting. Each song tells a different story from Blake’s life, with nothing made up just to sound cool. Every story told in Blake’s unmatchable way is all based on real events, and real people. It is this realness that makes Jawbreaker one of the most relatable bands to have come out of punk rock. You have the hope and wonder of wanting more from life in ‘The Boat Dreams From The Hill’, to the constant class war in the punk scene with ‘Boxcar’ where Blake told us “You’re not punk, and I’m telling everyone, save your breath, I never was one”.
The music behind the poetic lyrics is just as important to the genetic make up of Jawbreaker and their appeal. The sound can be likened to three friends jamming in a garage, just like any suburban kids could be as you read this as they try and find something to kill the boredom of every day life. The four-chord riff of ‘Ashtray Monument’ is brought to life by the frantic rhythm section of drummer Adam Pfahler and bassist Chris Bauermeister, giving depth to what would seem like a simple punk song on the surface. The three piece also have a knack for utilising the ‘quiet-loud’ formula that was becoming increasingly popular with guitar bands, especially on tracks like ‘Condition Oakland’ and ‘Ache’ which are as raucous as they are melodic. Jawbreaker are often also citied as being a huge influence on the emo scene, which they would probably disagree with – understandably as they are a punk rock band – however with the longing sentiments of wanting someone back on ‘Do You Still Hate Me?’ it’s not hard to see why. If Tumblr had been a thing in 1994 there would probably be more .gif’s featuring images of Jawbreaker with “Still I remember the way I used to move you” plastered across them than anything else.
You will not find lyrics littered with metaphor and pretension in any of Jawbreakers songs, particularly on ’24 Hour Revenge Therapy’. Towards the end of the album ‘West Bay Invitational’ reads like a diary entry, giving an account of a party where “Chris got a pony keg of loose charm” and “Hayes broke the scissors”. The latter of which refers to co-founder of Lookout! Records, David Hayes. Once again this shows how Blake drew from real people and real experiences. Every element that is packed into ’24 Hour Revenge Therapy’, from the lyrics, to the playing, to the production, is what makes it undeniably Jawbreakers finest hour.
No one could have predicted how much ’24 Hour Revenge Therapy’ would change people’s lives, and most of all the lives of the three people responsible for creating this masterpiece. With Kurt Cobain’s untimely passing in April of 1994, grunge was considered to be dead, and as Green Day were climbing the charts with their breakthrough album – the aforementioned ‘Dookie’ – it seemed that punk was the new thing. Jawbreaker found them self at the centre of a label bidding war, one that would result in them signing to Geffen for a seven figure contract, and releasing ‘Dear You’ in 1995. Unfortunately at the time, the follow up to ’24 Hour Revenge Therapy’ was not received well by the die-hard Jawbreaker following because of an increase in production value, and with tension rising between the three members, Jawbreaker would ultimately disband in 1996.
So as we fast-forward 20 years, ’24 Hour Revenge Therapy’ has still stood the test of time. Its influence knows no bounds, and many of today’s current alt-rock and emo bands will openly mention Jawbreaker as a reference point that helped create their sound. Jawbreaker still refuses to get back together for any shows, unlike many bands from way back when, meaning that their legacy has remained unsullied. They will never be seen as a nostalgia act, but a beloved band that inspired so many, helping to create a scene they had no idea would happen.
The expanded reissue of ’24 Hour Revenge Therapy’ is available now from Midheaven.com