If Jens Rubens (aka Stoop Kid)’s third album, “Office Overdue”, still manages to cling to his slacker-rock roots, it does so with a newly prominent display of guitar work that offers contrasting nuances to most of his back catalogue.
Tracks like “Well Oh Well” and “Aha Joh” resonate with the recurring themes of anxiety and its various manifestations, featuring jagged, angular, faux-jangled riffs reminiscent of classic Postcard Records bands such as The Fire Engines and Josef K. Meanwhile, the chunky, chiming riffs of “In Knot We Trust” and “Slump” evoke the spirit of Fort Not or Few Border, as they take aim from within the more subtle end of the jangle-gaze spectrum.
The most abrasive celebration of his newfound guitar enthusiasm can be found in “New To Me” and “The Lesson Is”, as the sound revels in an aesthetic that suggests a transformed Kurt Vile, invigorated after a round of testosterone injections. In contrast, the striking “Diet Coke” represents a complete departure from Rubens’s previous work, embracing a post-grunge aesthetic characterised by whirring, wall-of-guitar fuzz rock that just about treads on the toes of melody.
Every forthcoming Stoop Kid album promises to be a celebration, and this release does nothing to undermine that trend. Purchase it from the On The Level label in digital or vinyl formats, here.
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