John Gallagher Jr. - Goodbye Or Something (2024) [Hi-Res]

John Gallagher, Jr. is one of those "oh yeah, that guy!" guys. He's had roles in movies like 10 Cloverfield Lane and Jonah Hex, appeared in TV series including Westworld and The Newsroom, and starred in such Broadway musicals as Spring Awakening—winning a Tony for the heart-crushing role of Moritz, which he originated—and American Idiot. But he is also a singer-songwriter with two albums under his belt. His third, Goodbye or Something, seems to chart the course of a break-up, from the initial shock to the self-wallowing to the "what if?" wistfulness and, finally, resignation. (Gallagher, to his credit, doesn't spend much time dwelling in anger.) "Hidden Ring," with its countrified jangle, starts off sounding like a romantic engagement song, as he lays out the whole plan for asking for a girlfriend to marry him: Negronis, revisiting the same mini golf place they went on a first date. But it turns from optimistic to heartbreaker on a dime—"That night never came and you changed/ And now you don't want that anymore." He explores the weirdness of sharing so much in a relationship, and then how time robs your memory of everyday elements like nicknames, on "Dear Margaret." The winsome pop number also reveals Gallagher's knack for dropping in little details that make lyrics feel like real life, like referencing a birthday party at a bar in the brownstone-Brooklyn neighborhood of Carroll Gardens. You can hear traces of his Broadway charm: There are no rough edges here, and he knows how to play each part well—turning up a twang for the country folk of "Back in Berkeley" and "Lady Liberty's Blues" and hitting the hard-to-reach notes on "ROTFLOL," which captures the spirit of late '90s radio alt rock and features nice harmonies from Hannah Winkler. "Tied my belt to the doorknob/ But couldn't bring myself to finish the job ... Don't think I really wanted to die/ Just wanted you to see the headline," Gallagher sings on the title track, a freewheeling bit of Americana that dips into both country and rock. He also pays homage to a few of his heroes—specifically, Elvis Costello and the late Adam Schelsinger of Fountains of Wayne—on the catchy, charming "Chelsea Help Me." When he mentions personalized bits about playing The Evil One by Roky Erickson and falling for a girl at a record store in Echo Park, winningly accompanied by Zach Jones' crash-in drums and a slip-sliding guitar solo, you believe him. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz