Jr. Juggernaut are an alt-rock power trio out of Los Angeles, California. They just put out a new album last week called Another Big Explosion, and it’s streaming on their Bandcamp.
The album starts out on a mildly psychedelic guitar riff before turning into a solidly melodic rock track that harkens back to both the mid-’90s post-grunge power pop explosion like The Refreshments and the Goo Goo Dolls and the mid-’80s early pop-punk bands like The Replacements. Then “Hang On” dials up the urgency of the album with a guitar-fueled, punk-style track that packs a punch while still delivering on those haunting melodies. “Everything I Touch” feels like it’s rooted deeply in the mid-’90s at the height of the creativity in the alt-rock movement.
“Take Alone” opens on an absolutely killer guitar riff, but still, as a whole song, it once again has that melodic, power-pop element with a grungy undertone. It’s one of the most nostalgia-tinged tracks on the whole album. Then “Inclined” opens on a darker tone with a raging guitar riff, a whammy pedal, and a lot of emotion. “Million Miles” then pulls out some slightly heavier grunge, while still keeping some of those haunting melodies in the track.
Penultimate track “I Believe” slows things down to almost ballad pace at first, but then picks up a little bit more a moment later, but still keeps a touch of tenderness to the track. Finally, closing track “Total Darkness” takes a while to start up, opening with just a few stray guitar notes, but then bursts into another tenderly emotional song with some more great Jr. Juggernaut melodies. This is a truly gorgeous fusion of power and melody that you’ll have to check out. You can listen to the album below:
Another Big Explosion is out now, and you can order it off Bandcamp. Follow Jr. Juggernaut on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for future updates.
Photo courtesy of Jr. Juggernaut
