It’s always felt like Boy Jumps Ship are a band among friends. The quartet have landed some great support slots for the likes of Arcane Roots and We Are the Ocean in the past, but despite excelling on these tours with some fantastic performances, they’re currently still waiting for that big breakout leap. With a headline tour kicking off next month, there may be no better time than now, and with the release of debut album ‘Wake Up’ it just might be on the cards.
‘Burn’ sets the album off on a good start, while ‘No Tomorrow’ gives the quartet a chance to show a more pop punk side. The best of both tracks lie in two superb choruses and the same can be said for ‘Lost & Found’, but the latter is a much stronger all-round effort on a record that is already going from strength to strength three songs in.
‘Turn Up the Radio’ takes us out of leading single territory and into the bulk of the record, though ‘Make You Proud’ is a welcome return having become a live favourite since featuring on the ‘Lovers & Fighters’ EP. ‘Under Your Skin’ and ‘Shatter’ have the potential to make similar impacts, though ‘Night Stories’ feels a little poorly placed, perhaps better off as an album closer if anything – when it comes to slow songs, they definitely need to make the sacrificing of their usual power a little more worthwhile.
‘Hell’ is a huge leap back in the right direction, and ‘Redlight’ sees ‘Wake Up’ closed out on exactly the note it needed to be. It’s a record that certainly doesn’t fail to grab attention, but the jury may still be out on whether it can keep it. It’s easy to feel like there’s still a lot more we’re yet to uncover when it comes to the work of Boy Jumps Ship.
3.5/5
‘Wake Up’ by Boy Jumps Ship is out now Amazing Record Co.
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Words by Antony Lusmore (@VilinskiKonjic)
