By: zak
Just before the halfway mark of “Lock Me Up” — the fourth song on The Rapid Jags debut LP Awakening — there’s a captivating moment and a cause for pause as guitarist and vocalist Jake Lutz initiates overdrive. The psychedelic blues trio will be a force in the scene for some time if the crisp first three songs are any indication. But especially on “Lock Me Up,” it’s solos like these that make you itching to be back at a place like Woodlands grooving to some live tunes.
The eight-song LP comes from the polished work the youthful rockers laid down with Jakob Mooney at Mooney Recording Studios. This is a gigantic and noticeable leap from the 8-track recording method The Rapid Jags used for the group’s 2019 EP. Mooney’s name has been attached to some of the most respectable rock acts being birthed in Columbus over the past few years, so this pairing is a fitting duo whose in-studio chemistry shines from front to back on Awakening.
“[Jakob and I] totally clicked, and I knew this was the guy I wanted to record this album with, and the rest of the band was all for it as well,” Lutz said. “He really pushed us as musicians, while keeping the recording session super relaxed and fun. He really helped make our music come to life, and we are all extremely grateful that we got to work with him on this project.”
A reoccurring similarity throughout every listen is the album’s affinity to the dramatic storytelling of Billie Joe Armstrong on works such as American Idiot. As all solidly structured climaxes go, the moment of peak storytelling on this eight-track project comes seven tracks in with “Homesick.” On the track, Lutz laments, “Where to next?/Don’t want a life of regret/But I don’t know my own stance/Or who I really am.” Those four lines are almost on a Lorde-level of youthful self-awareness; the New Zealand pop queen said, “It feels so scary getting old,” on an album she released when she was 16. Nowadays, more than ever, there’s a pressure for people to be extremely successful before they even break out of their 20s (think “30 Under 30” lists). However, this insecure self-awareness when expressed through an artistic medium is seen more as motivation than being stuck in self-reflection.
A smidge after the three-minute mark on “Lock Me Up,” the group plays along with some guitar fanfare, a lovely juxtaposition of showmanship that slowly transforms into an Alex Turner-style breakdown. “Lock me/Break me/Cast that spell/On me/The blank stares/You give me/I’m climbing/ You shot me.” The influence of the 2010s indie rock boom is splattered all throughout this record. “Lady of the Night,” while reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix, also conjures feelings of the first half of The Black Keys’ discog. “Crashing Waves” takes you through a decades-long heavy metal time machine, spanning seven minutes of pure album-closer bliss. It’s a wide swath of raw rock talent, and from a group of teenagers, it’s also very promising.
By the record’s final notes, it’s hard not to look forward to when you could see The Rapid Jags jamming out on these songs in concert.
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