The Beremy Jets - Careless (2018)

Reviewed by Elizabeth Klisiewicz
Upon listening to the dense, layered grooves of this debut full length from Malmö, Sweden’s The Beremy Jets, it is difficult to believe it was created by only one guy, a singing drummer named Paul Saarnak (LKWRM, Slowmotion Club) with help from Anne Saarnak and Jason Lamoreaux (Somewherecold label head and host of the Somewhere Cold Radio Hour on DKFM). Paul has released two previous EPS stuffed with winning tunes, and Careless is no exception to this rule! Just witness the glorious premiere single, “Waves of Wonder” for an inkling of what to expect in the grooves (vinyl or otherwise) of this record.

Opening track “Be Happy” not only traffics in joy, it demands the listener step up and join the celebration! Gigantic melodic hooks come crashing around you as shimmering sonic waves assault you gently. Just beautiful! And the guitar on this is massive, carving out an expansive soundspace for itself. “Good Times” immediately reminds me of Swervedriver (never a bad thing!) and as this stellar tune lifts off, you’ll swear Adam Franklin is on board.

“No Am No” takes a lighter approach and puts Paul’s gentle voice in the forefront. I envision myself in a boat on a slow-moving river with toes dipped in the water, and this song playing as the perfect summer soundtrack. “My Team Lost Again” is a graceful slow burn, chiming guitars making lots of space for Paul’s voice. The song eventually meanders into walls of feedback as it winds to a close. “Daily Internal Monologue” is short and possibly destined to be a single, a spacey wonder of a tune with droning instrumental passages.

Paul has a real ear for melody, as witnessed again and again on this release. “Proud-button” jacks up the energy into high gear (in case you were lulled into a daydream by the previous songs) and has help on vocals from Anne. In fact, I am reminded of Dinosaur Jr for some reason! And when the bridge comes around, watch out! It’s a killer wave of sound headed your way. Very cool! “Shut Up Forever” includes guest vocals from Jason and is simply beautiful. I prefer the softer passages, but it’s all great. I can only imagine how this would sound live, but I am guessing it would blow the doors off and incinerate everyone.

The aforementioned “Waves of Wonder” is the perfect choice for the first single, and it gets me every time with the Swervedriveresque hook at its heart. I just love the way it builds up to a magnificent peak. And finally, we have “Thanks, Future Client” as the album’s coda, and I hear glimmers of The Verve in its sinuous sound motes. It is bright, shining, and the majesty of pure shoegaze (with a side of psych) is in full display. In short, this is a great debut from a super talented artist. Highly recommended.