Blistering fourth single from the Limerick duo deals with public transport oddities - or alienation in general...
Track: Bus Weirdo
Band: Japanese Jesus
Released: June 3 2022
Japanese Jesus are Bertie Kelly (vocals, guitars, bass) and Denny Dunworth (drums) from County Limerick. Their blistering new single Bus Weirdo is out now, released June 3.
Bertie and Denny previously played under the guise of Supermodel Twins in the noughties, recording their debut album with Noel Hogan of The Cranberries on production duties. Their sound now is much more alternative and punk, with their debut single Facilities recorded by Mike Gavin (Windings, The Cranberries) and mastered by Richard Dowling (Foo Fighters, David Bowie, Brian Eno). This was released in August 2021 and received rave reviews from people who know about these things. Their next two singles were Progress and Liver which brings us very neatly to this latest slab of sonic savagery Bus Weirdo.
No frills here, this is an aural assault worthy of Bad Brains or Dead Kennedys. As the sickeningly sycophantic jubilee celebrations get under way in the UK, it's good to be reminded of the power of punk, which the Sex Pistols harnessed 45 years ago and which is still relevant today.
The beauty of punk is in the simplicity, not only the directness of the musical attack but also the way it can convey a message. According to the band Bus Weirdo is a song about encounters with slightly unhinged people on public transport. As they say "Never had such an encounter? Well then you may ask yourself ... maybe I am the bus weirdo?" As a frequenter of Galway's 424 bus service I can confirm that I have had many such an encounter.
However I think that they are being slightly disingenuous - they neatly tap into the feeling of anomie which punk is so good at conveying. (Anomie (n) - the social condition of a breakdown of norms and values, resulting in an existential lack of connection to meaning and purpose).
Yes, the bus weirdo may be seen as odd but is it any different to someone who is "missing the feeling of on the fringes" and for whom "common sense is wearing thin". As the breakdown succinctly notes "it's a wave of shit I can't escape."
Bus Weirdo is a welcome and timely reminder of the timeless potency of punk to punch you right between the ears and recalibrate you.
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