BY KELSIE EHALT// Twenty-four years after the release of their last studio album Dear You, the pioneers of pop-punk, Jawbreaker, are thrilling audiences once again on their reunion tour. Not shying away from their hiatus, the band posted on Facebook “Remember when Jawbreaker was last in DC and Bill Clinton was in the White House”?
The band’s first album Unfun debuted in 1990 and kicked-off with the intense but sing-alongable track “Want,” still a fan-favorite today. Their next two albums, Bivouac and 24-Hour Revenge Therapy were released in the following four years. In 1994, Jawbreaker opened for Nirvana’s “In Utero” tour and faced a new alternative audience which strayed from their punk background and sensibilities. The stress surrounding record label deals led the band to break up for a short time, but soon thereafter they were back in the studio and released the aforementioned Dear You in ’95. The band broke up for a much longer time following that album, and plenty of individual projects ensued.
In the last couple of years, Jawbreaker has been keeping busy. They announced their reunion in 2017, they have played at various music festivals, and they have been on their current tour since early 2018. In 2017, a documentary about the band was released called Don’t Break Down: A Film About Jawbreaker.
I am not extremely familiar with the deeper cuts of Jawbreaker’s discography, but I am quite excited to see the band, and I look forward to learning more about them in the coming week. I’m expecting a very nostalgic crowd and I can’t want to see their reaction when their favorite band finally takes the stage again.
Don’t miss your chance to see Jawbreaker next Thursday, March 27th at The Anthem!