On Scroll If You Love The Devil, Heather The Jerk is back with more curmudgeoncore. This vinyl is an upgrade -- I suppose the marketing team would call it the deluxe -- adding four new songs to a full album that was previously released on cassette this year.
I've covered a lot of Heather Sawyer's music, beginning with The Hussy and into recent times as Heather The Jerk. While The Jerk moniker fits some of the tone here, with songs like "Get Off My Lawn" and "Said What I Said" to kick it off, setting a grumpy tone, this is really fun, sassy garage-pop with barebones production. If I have to typecast, I'd guess Heather is a '90s kid raised on grunge and '60s oldies before later falling in love with punk, then garage rock.
Heather's songs begin with quick, memorable hooks that deliver the goods in a 1-2 minute timeframe. You'll get many songs where the song title is in the chorus, and others with "na na na" and "whoa oh" melodic filler. There are peppy sing-song tunes like "My Dumb Brain" or "Gimme Gimme Gimme," then it counters with punchier tones like the syncopated "Nothing Changes" or the '60s bop of "Not For The Weak." "I Miss You" is a nice change-of-pace ballad that with lo-fi production and a barking effect that's more sparse and haunting than melancholy.
The sound is consistent, but varied: the Loli & the Chones cover "Hate Your Guts" fits right in, as if it were an original. While garage rock is the core here, there's a lot of nuance that makes it work and keeps the 14 songs from all sounding alike. "Wintertime Blues" is a personal favorite on the record, adding a little more emotion to the delivery while the rhythm has an ever-so-slight bluesy angle. The production is used like a second voice on the record, bringing new dimension at key points: minimal and fuzzy, adding heart, grit and vulnerability.
If you like your music, rocking, peppy and authentic, check this out.
