WORRY

Love Jeff Rosenstock. My son, who is much cooler than I am, introduced me to him a while ago. Reminds me a bit of my favorite band, The Replacements - raucous and loose, but also catchy. 4 stars.

Wow. I listened and then went right back and listened again. This album distills the angst of its time and place with surgical precision. I mean - it’s punk and ska-infused so I’m already on board but goddamn is its content bang-on. How did I miss this dear disc?

Jeff!! So this was the album I wanted to submit but it was already in here. Possibly my favourite album of all time. It's so well crafted, the lyrics really get me going and I listen to this album so much, I always put it on when I'm stressed or need a pick me up. Jeff is an absolute hero and I love all his work from Arrogant Sons of Bitches to Bomb the music industry and all his solo stuff. He's such a gem of the music industry and continues to released bangers and stay true to his ethics. His lyrics evoke so many feelings to so many people in different situations and I can always find a way to relate. Bloody love him.

This is the album I suggested! I first heard WORRY a few years ago, after reading James Acaster’s book about music from 2016 (the book is called Perfect Sound Whatever, which is the closing track of this album). I liked it enough to buy it on Bandcamp but didn’t go back to it for a while, when suddenly during lockdown I put it on again and it just had a very profound effect on me. I then had a period of a couple of months when I was listening to this every single day. It became a comfort album for me in a way I’d never really needed before, and the experience of just listening through to WORRY from start to finish and embracing every emotion it brought up was quite therapeutic at a very rough time. Something about the anxiety of lockdown and the current political climate is so perfectly reflected in this record, which I usually describe to people as ‘pop-punk for grown-ups’. It is angry and raucous in a distinctly modern way and doesn’t hold back with its criticisms of gentrification, doomscrolling/algorithmic bias, and shitty landlords. But it is also uplifting and packed full of hooks and stadium-sized choruses (like the soaring summer singalong of June 21st, or the entirety of Festival Song), with the most powerful gang vocals I’ve ever heard (I still get chills every time We Begged 2 Explode kicks in). It is remarkably entertaining and inspiring. Jeff gives an incredibly powerful and emotional vocal performance all over the album (with some funny and quite charming slips on the high notes in I Did Something Weird Last Night - the aftermath of recording shouted gang vocals before the other vocal tracks). The instrumentation is really solid throughout with very fun drumming and some fantastic catchy guitar and bass lines, as well as some oddities like glockenspiels and kazoos that are somehow timed perfectly and just fit with the rest of the instrumental palette. Musically it goes through about every punk sub-genre, most notably on the second half of the album which is structured as one continuous movement just like Abbey Road, and flits from ska to hardcore to the electronic pulse of The Fuzz without breaking a sweat. And it all ends with Perfect Sound Whatever, and that cathartic mantra ‘perfect always takes so long because it don’t exist’. Well I’m sorry to disagree with you Jeff, but this album is pretty fucking perfect

Have been aware of Jeff Rosenstock on the ancillary for a bit now, but never really listened to him. This is a great example of something being great for what it is. This whole album is just so solid and catchy and there are moments that when it hits it feels like you are listening to the greatest song in the world in that moment. Absolutely loved it, and I know hold Jeff Rosenstock in higher esteem than I already did.

Just an explosion of fun and creativity. Weaves between a few genres. At barely 30 minutes, this is a rare album that leaves me wishing it were longer.

This was louder than I expected. Cool album

Sometimes I think I’m going crazy and hear Elvis Costello in every rock album I listen to on this list because I heard it here and nearly had a violent response until I realized that I was actually enjoying the music. It’s like a power pop rock that has yelling without being grating. We begged to explode and staring out the window were my favs.

It's James' album! How exciting. And I will be honest with my review, and James knows I won't spare his feelings after my Taylor Swift review... This was fun and punky and fearless. It reminded me of the stuff I liked about Green Day back in the day. A good time! I happily enjoyed this while getting ready for the beach in Majorca

For me his music will be forever associated with the pandemic. Didn’t know of him before that time but Spotify fed me him on the algorithm and I really enjoyed his work. Great record.

This went from who is this guy? To this isn’t half bad, to that was a great album! Enjoyed the hell out of this

Rosenstock is one of those artists who really drives home the importance of persona and perception for me. I had already listened to this LP given how inescapable it was in our college radio station circa 2017, and the marketing from Polyvinyl Records and Jeff was pretty much everywhere in the indie sphere. I got so tired of seeing or hearing this man trot out his "lol I'm so GOOFY" persona again and again, and unfortunately I think it put me off his discography (which has some great tracks!) for the foreseeable future. This LP is initially fun and carefree, but the constant badgering of Rosenstock's whiny vocals and the insistent use of crowd choruses wears thin quickly, even considering the album's brief runtime. It almost invokes a certain toxic positivity, Jeff screaming at you to give up and enjoy life regardless over and over for 40 minutes until you succumb. I offer the anecdote above mainly to show my own rating bias here, but there's a conversation to be had about artist personas in the day and age of TikTok (RIP). Labels are increasingly persistent that artists market themselves on social media, and there's been an increasing dialogue about how exhausting it is to perform not only on stage but online 24/7. The artist's dialogue and marketing around a given LP can really twist its musical impact, and has at times bolstered or ruined a given album in my eyes. Jeff Rosenstock is apparently just this annoying inherently, but I can imagine other artists feel shoehorned into personas and marketing gimmicks they don't identify with their work, and at times may even detract from the message they're trying to send.

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Pash rash, Festival song, Wave goodnight to me, I did something weird last night, Bang on the door, HELLLLHOOOOLE, The fuzz, While you’re alive, Perfect sound whatever

Great, great, great record!

A wonderful surprise. It is a bit introspective songwriter, with a rock and punk edge. A ben kweller, bob mould and NOFX shake in a blender. Wave Goodnight to Me stood out though i enjoyed the vibe from start to finish. Will definitely be seeking out more.

Perfect punkish/90sish/Weezerish throwback. No notes.

Hell yeah, this really hit the spot! This is what punk/indie rock/power pop is all about! Joyous! I have a couple of his later albums queued up to check out, but hadn't gotten around to them so far. I was enjoying this alright on my first listen, and then "Rainbow" -> "Planet Luxury" really caught my attention - did that song just jump from ska to hardcore? No, it's two different songs? Well, still! I really appreciate that a whole chunk of the back half of the album blends the songs together like that. Finished my second listen and immediately resolved to have a third before submitting a review. I see other reviewers mention Weezer and Elvis Costello and I can definitely hear both of those in there, yeah. I get the same feeling from this that I get from John Frusciante's "Shadows Collide With People" - not because it sounds similar - it doesn't at all, but because it sounds like someone that's good at what they do cutting the hell loose and having a blast while doing it. Fave tracks - "Wave Goodnight To Me", "I Did Something Weird Last Night", and "Hellllhoooole". I reckon further listens, which I will definitely be making happen, will let me pick out more...

I've wanted to listen to this record for a long time. Not just hearing a couple of tracks from it here and there... I wanted to give my full attention to it. So today's suggestion was perfect, especially since I had a little time on my hands... The "pop punk for grown-ups" tag indicated by the user who suggested this already indicated one thing before I dived in: I would either hate this thing or totally love it. Either there was no way that apparently oxymoronic tag could work out, or a miracle had actually happened here. There was no possible middle ground. Since you've already seen the grade I gave to *Worry*, you already know what my verdict is though, right? :) Simply put, this LP is an extraordinary ride. To be totally honest, I had sort of given up on the music styles used there a long time ago, but now I feel as excited by them as I was as a teenager, when I started to rock to the greatest The Get Up Kids and The Suicide Machine albums of days yonder. And yet I *am* a "grown up" today, and I still feel like one. It's a wonderful paradox, and it takes a wonderful sort of artistry to pull it off in my book. Of course, this is no Blink-182 dross. Jeff Rosenstock has many things to sing about, topics that are both personal and political, for starters. But his lyrics never get in the way of the musicality of his compositions, at least in this one LP -- instead, Jeff's words perfectly fit the moods and intents of songs that go from restless or unnerved to elated and cathartic one track into the next -- songs that yet always stay pointedly melodic. Form and contents perfectly align here. As said at the end of the record's penultimate song, "love is worry" -- this is the moment the album's title stems from, and the music so aptly conveys Jeff's mindset in that regard. With so many people that are rotten to the bone holding power these days, caring for others in a capitalistic hellhole world can make you go through "worry" indeed, instead of making you feel validated. Yet caring is all worth it, even if the path can get difficult for reasons that are (once again) both personal and political. Actually -- and against all odds, maybe -- melodic punk-rock is a nice fit to deal with those so-called "adult" issues in a fashion that stays somewhat positive overall, without ever watering down the expression of the hardships experienced by people trying to pinpoint meaning into this sheer mess. In a sense, Jeff reifies a whole oft-maligned genre here, and it's no small feat. Of course, such reification can only happen if the music is great and manages to transcend clichés. First, there are quite a few killer arrangements and very nice ideas for chord sequences throughout *Worry*. But more importantly, there are so many instantly memorable moments -- infectious choruses, fun vocal lines, terrific guitar licks -- served by production values that feel equally deep, authentic, and punchy, courtesy of sound engineer Jack Shirley, whose résumé also includes the production of Deafheaven's black metal albums (another interesting case where the clichés of a very particular music style got famously challenged for the best). The choruses sung by large groups of people especially slap, and they bring a lot to the songs. And Jeff's impassioned lead vocals are stellar -- the nearly indiscernible frailty of some of his inflexions are never an impediment here, they provide charm, energy and warmth instead. In a record named *Worry*, you can't be looking for perfection anyway, as stated in the album's closer. You must look for humanity, and Rosenstock visibly has spades of it to provide for us. Highlights abound, so I'm not gonna be able to name each and every one of them. There's the slow and ecstatic opener "We Begged To Explode", or the sardonic "oh-ohs" in "Festival Song" -- indirectly lambasting the music industry --, or the incredibly catchy hooks of "Wave Goodbye To Me", or the tender yet very lively love song "I Did Something Weird Last Night"... "To Be A Ghost..." is also one of those cuts going to very interesting places for a pop-punk album, thanks to its off-kilter bridge verging on "post-rock" tones. Oh, and the subject matter this particular track deals with still resonates 10 years later, of course. See the opening lines of the song: "Fuck off, the internet / I'm tired of circling amongst apologists / who love ignoring the reality / of unarmed civilians executed publicly." On that thought, fuck ICE. And fuck any of the fascist jerks supporting them. Sorry for the expletives, but I needed this out of my chest, I guess. :) Finally, as you already know, this generator is dedicated to the album format, and I do think that *Worry* is one of those records that understands the power of this format more than most other records out there. You've got the very dynamic tracklist on its first side, sure... But most of all, you have the amazing structure of the second half of the LP -- indeed taking a page out of *Abbey Road*'s final "montage" of shorter, stylistically diverse compositions. That second half can remind you of the best cuts from The Clash, Rancid, Green Day, Elvis Costello, The Suicide Machine or even Weezer at times (as in the ternary hooks of "Blast Damage Days"). It is a "collage" that is no mere "conceptual" extravagance that would make the mistake of leaving musicality aside, mind you. On the contrary... It's a relentless onslaught on your senses if you're open to the substyles harnessed here (yes, even ska punk!). The performers never let their guards down, and this until the very last song. And surely, this has got to count for something in a list of 1001 albums you must listen to before you die... I spent some time browsing through other Jeff Rosenstock albums today, and as of now, I think *Worry* is indeed the right pick within the man's discography. But there are definitely other gems to be found inside his other records -- my favorites being the two "long" epic songs opening and closing his subsequent LP *POST-*, along with five or six far shorter highlights from his most recent full length release *Hellmode*. Had those cuts been gathered in the same album, you would have something matching the level of *Worry*, I think... I also browsed through the releases of Rosenstock's former lo-fi ska-punk act Bomb The Music Industry!, and I stumbled upon some endearing stuff there that made me think I would have liked this band a lot had I discovered them at the right age... Does anyone have a time machine in here? To return to the subject of Rosenstock's subsequent albums... Maybe Jeff's most recent output verges a little too much into somewhat self-indulgent territory at times, both lyrically and musically... Maybe indeed he's "getting old" -- even more than what was already suggested in *Worry*... Yet I think he's a voice that still needs to be heard today, at a time where political and personal complacency takes such a huge toll on us all. No, we "can't let them win". Hope everyone in this generator agrees. So, many, many thanks to the user who suggested this album today. Your name is James, right? Some friend of yours spilled the beans in her own review of *Worry*... So thanks, James. This is exactly why I'm using this generator: to give me incentives helping me filling out the blanks. And that *one blank* retrospectively feels HUGE given that I have always wanted to listen to this record. Guess that's one less worry to... worry about now. I'll see myself out ;) -------> ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 78 (including this one) Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 98 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 193 ---- Émile, tu trouveras ma dernière réponse sous le *Inside* de Bo Burnham

Good punky rock album. The artist writes catchy powerpop/rock songs with a lot of energy and great hooks. I like the distorted, lo-fi sound of the album and the singers voice when it’s a bit screaming. Nice photo on the album cover (of his wedding), though I don’t understand how it’s related to the album title.

Solid post punk with a muture lyrical outlook and sophisticated music for its genre. I'm a little on the fence because I feel like it started really strong then fell into a groove that while still good, didn't ever come back up to that starting level for me. On the other hand I'm a sucker for pulling off 17 songs in well under 40 minutes. What can you say, punks just work harder.

If you’re like me and are trying to place the voice - it’s the guy from Bomb the Music Industry! (!) This is a fun rocker all the way through and has reminded me I like BtMI and should travel through their and Jeff here’s catalogue

Good stuff - Knew Pash Rash 4

Cool find. Never heard of him before, but I really liked it and will check out his other stuff. Thanks for sharing it.

Great fun album, full of energy

I think I prefer his debut "We Cool?" a bit more, but there's no denying that this guy's probably the best and most consistent modern pop-punk artist. Four outta five. I'm a sucker for this kind of thing.

Rainbow is an interesting song. Has a frenetic SKA sound to it, but still very enjoyable. 17 songs over 37 minutes is also good. No need to prolong something into 37 minutes for one song. Enjoyable listen.

I saw yet another relatively new punk album someone added to this list and kind of was unenthused, but this turned out to be much better than expected. Got a kind of unique style and some interesting song construction and surprising lyrics that deal with some pretty relevant topics (a song about data mining and targeted marketing, for instance). I also was just coming off 4 days in subzero Montana weather and connected with the short but great June 21st. Great album!

Good enough. And short!

Proto-90s in the 2010s

4.5

17 short fast loud punk songs - what's not to love!

I enjoyed it, never heard of this album, so it was a nice surprise

Banger! A great pick from the last 10 years.

In the first two tracks, this had everything it needed to be an insufferable pile of garbage. Fortunately, it picked up and became quite energetic and punky, which I ended up very much enjoying.

Fun little album. Can't say much has stuck with me after listening but it was a fun listen. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Good punk rock album. Never heard of Jeff Rosenstock so it was completely new to me, no expectations. Enjoyed listening whilst playing some Balatro+.

I really wish that he explored some of these songs further. 17 songs over 34 minutes averages to two minutes a song. I believe Jeff can provide us with some more thoughtful songwriting if he held himself down and made an epic. Seven minute long Jeff Rosenstock song would slap so fucking hard. Anyway, that’s my only complaint. I otherwise, really really like this album. Great energy, lyrics, production, etc. Solid time. 4/5

I respect the energy of this album, and I certainly appreciate it scratching that itch that a lot of power pop seems to miss for me. This is what Weezer should be up to now. It is constantly moving and shifting and as a whole album it is one solid art piece that I quite appreciate. Just hard to wrap my head around sometimes to give it too high of praise, but it is undoubtably good.

A unexpected delight for a Friday afternoon. More of this please

Started out feeling a bit middle of the road indie rock but I started to warm to it more on the second listen. Faves: Staring Out the Window at Your Old Apartment, To Be a Ghost, June 21st

Really enjoyed this one back in the day. Still great but the novelty has faded a bit.

I'd heard the name Jeff Rosenstock, but only recently in the context of touring with PUP. A colleague recommended them both, and I've heard a bit of PUP but never Rosenstock. His DIY background probably contributes to remaining a niche and underground act, but his blend of punk is pretty accessible and could garner more attention if it was a direction he wanted to go in. Would seem to go against the theme though for a guy who was in a band called Bomb the Music Industry. Regardless, I really enjoyed "WORRY," and will now be doing what I should have at my colleagues' recommendation and checking out more of Jeff Rosenstock.

Punk rock, indie rock, power pop. Ni fu ni fa.

This started out pretty promising. Lots of energy and fun hooks. But towards the end it went to much into a ska-punky-vibe for my taste. Still pretty decent album.

bueno!

I always try and guess the genre from the album cover, but today I can't quite tell. It could go in any direction - might be a bit gay? Best guess is some kind of alt soft rock, maybe sufjan Stevens type stuff. Ok... it's got a rock opera vibe. But not a really bombastic one? Like if you made a rock opera in a small apartment. Or something. It's not too bad tbh. Gayness tbc - it's a bit show-tunesy, but punk/emo as well. I feel like this guy can write a song, and if he did so in a genre I froth on he'd be my hero. Anyway - 3/5 for not being boring, but I'll never listen again.

This was fun. Catchy and concise with great energy. Fave Songs: Pash Rash, We Begged 2 Explode, Festival Song

I don't have loads to comment here. I feel like I'll grow to love this on further listens. But at this moment I just like it and can sense it's potential to work it's way into my brain!

Even after all the albums I was deceived by the artwork. It was interesting, didn’t dislike but didn’t light up my life.

Old school but new school

This was interesting, kind of a modern punk music

You gotta love it

Never heard of this

Absolutely nails the throwback 90s angst sound, which makes all the lyrics about social media and data mining really stick out. Kind of drifts too clever for its own good, in that way, I don't need this kind of music to be self-aware

Wow! This is quite something. So angry. It'a good but quite anxiety inducing.

Bunch of fun little rants. Adequate but not 'serious' music

Interesting

This was pretty good. None of the songs stuck with me but a good listen nonetheless.

Pop-punk,power pop. Como muchos de la época.

Punk rock, indie rock, power pop. Ni fu ni fa.

This album was pretty fun overall, but it felt generic in parts for when it was made. Some of this is probably the fact that I tend not to like pop punk overall. Still, I enjoyed some parts of this album, though I would have rated it more highly if it was a bit more consistent 3/5

Artist seems much more worked up about things one isn't much worked up about. In fact, one found the high energy to be highly exhausting. (Ska really is best served chill.) Not imperative that this join the list proper but fine to replace Linkin Park and the similar usual suspects.

Unexpectedly shouty. Not really my thing. Rating: 2 Playlist track: Pash Rash Date listened: 04/03/25

This was kind of an odd album. Solo guy but decides to do an indie rock punk rock album that sounds like he’s just trying to catch fire but nothing really hits. All of the songs are somewhat catchy but it seems like music a 40 year old makes to try and be cool with his teenage kids. Not feeling it. 5.2/10

This album was good fun to begin then started to grate on me.

2.5/5

like bad album rock. 2s.

Reddit and RYM love this guy so I'm already predisposed to hate him. But he certainly isn't doing himself any favors here. There's way too many overblown, overdramatic, forced anthemic moments, and it's not particularly fun or catchy otherwise. This is one of the top rated "pop punk" albums on RYM (#2 as I'm writing this), even though, like most albums on that chart, it has very little to do with actual pop punk. No memorable hooks or melodies, little energy, too slow and self-serious, with too much forced emotion and melodrama. This is just boring indie rock with shouty vocals and I hate that shit.

I may have ADD but I'm not sure I'm ADD enough to enjoy 17 songs in 37 minutes. Although it feels a lot longer. It's not necessarily what I'd expected musically ... but the voice IS kinda what I'd expected and do not like at all. It's a choice: that shout/punk sing/yelling accompanied by gang vocals - I'm just never gonna like this, just sounds like a bratty kid and his buddies yelling at me from a basement university bookstore. Can definitely see the appeal for power punk fans and I'm completely down with the apparent message/s within but this music is just not ever gonna be my thing. 5/10 2 stars IMO: Belonged in the book? No.

A rather messy punk that is not easy to listen to or enjoy in its highest notes. I was not convinced by the album, neither with the singles nor in the sense of enjoyment. What's more, it doesn't even last an hour and I found it very tedious.

I don’t know if this sounds like it’s 25 years late or 40 years late but either way: it doesn’t sound very contemporary, it does sound like it’s peaking into the red and I’ve very little desire to get to the end of the album.

2016 was the absolute worst year for music.

I really didn’t like this or his voice. I’m unimpressed and have nothing positive to say honestly. I’m not necessarily offended but just blah.