AJR, Yes I’m A Mess | Track Review 🎵

AJR continues to live the millennial (and ‘old’ Gen-Z) experience with “Yes I’m A Mess,” an advance single from their 2023 LP, The Maybe Man.

“Yes, I’m a mess with an S on my chest / Got stress fillin’ up my head.” Yup, typical lyrics from the usual suspects, 🎙 AJR.  The millennial spirit run rampant in the brother trio’s work, though it should be noted, singer 🎙 Jack Met is technically ‘old’ Gen-Z by birthday (a 1997 baby).  Anyways, music critics are often critical on AJR citing the millennial themes and overblown production.  Have I been guilty? Of course, though I’d argue I’m a bit more lenient than some when it comes to the Met brothers.  Here’s the thing.  🎵 “Yes I’m a Mess”, an advance single from 💿 The Maybe Man (arrives November 3, 2023) is tried-and-true AJR 😏, but it’s hard to deny it’s a bit, dare I say, catchy!

The sound of the record is enjoyable.  “Yes I’m a Mess” is set in a minor key. 🎛️ Ryan Met concocts production work that is ornate but not too ornate.  It’s picturesque and rhythm yet non troppo compared to some AJR productions.  Lyrically, the songwriting still explores those first-world problems typical of AJR – “I leave my house at three o’clock / With two hundred texts and two missed calls” – but that sort of goes with the territory, doesn’t it.  The chorus, excerpted above, is a bit schmaltzy, yet, it gets easily stuck in the head.  That’s because it is so damn tuneful.  It’s one of those choruses you want to hate but you can’t stop singing!  It plays out like this:

“Yes, I’m a mess with an S on my chest

Got stress fillin’ up my head

So, I spent last night blowin’ up my life

Now you won’t see me again

Cheers to the front and cheers to the back

And cheers to the 2010s

I could hate my guts when the sun comes up

But I like myself like this

I like myself like this.”

Oh, AJR! There’s more, of course. In the second verse, we get a few s-bombs 💣 (“Why should I fix the shit 💩 I’ve done / When I could just pack my shit 💩 and run?”), as well as stinky shirts 😏. Sure, AJR, sure.  All in all, however,  🎵 “Yes I’m a Mess” is fun.  Sure, there’ll be folks who are as annoyed as ever by the Met bros but, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy this mess!

🎙 AJR • 💿 The Maybe Man • 🏷 AJR Productions LLC / Mercury / Republic • 🗓 11.3.23

[📷: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; AJR Productions LLC / Mercury / Republic; OpenClipart-Vectors, PIRO via Pixabay]