Album Review: Places by Jacob Horn Trio

Jacob Horn Trio are a seven piece band from Chicago, Illinois. Fronted by Jacob Horn, the band released a brand new five track EP in December. It's superb. If it had been released earlier in 2019, there is every chance it would have ended up on my top ten of the year list. Sadly I didn't hear it earlier but at least I now have the chance to tell you all about it now. Titled Places, it features five brass filled punk rock songs about muddling through your twenties.

Places begins with the song Eyesore. Eyesore is the song that first alerted me of Jacob Horn Trio when I was searching through Bandcamp. The track begins with some passionate vocals from Horn as he strums his guitar. It's quite a striking start that gets you intrigued immediately. Then we get some horns and I know that this is a band for me. Horn sings with such urgency and the horns give the song a massive sound. It's a song about people looking back at the old days in a city where you won't spend your whole life. Up next is Randolph. The urgency in Horn's vocal remains but this is the first time I hear some real soul in his voice as well. Randolph is about becoming a bit of a recluse, not wanting to leave the house and shutting yourself off from the outside world. For the first time on the EP you can hear vocals from Devon Kay (of Devon Kay & The Solutions and Direct Hit!) adding a different element to the band's sound. The two vocalists mesh well together and give the song a distinct style. The horns are present but do lead the way like they don't on Eyesore, instead they're used to add another melodic layer.

Arizona is a short song, at just over a minute long, and is about your friends slowly fading out of your life but being happy for them. Despite the short length of the song, Jacob Horn Trio do a great job of packing a lot in. So much so, it's actually surprising that the song is so short. I loved the use of the acoustic guitar on the song, it gives a soft feel alongside Horn's vocal. The ending of the song has a big finish that I can imagine is great live. The penultimate song, Southport, is a real stand out on an already superb EP. It's a slower paced songs with horns that remind me of Permanent Revolution era Catch 22. Despite the slower pace, the song moves along with a great deal of purpose that really draws you in. The chorus is one written for the big sing-along, repeating the lines "you can say we like each other well, I guess that says it all" four times in a row. Repetitive lines are a great technique for creating an earworm. Towards the end of the track, things get more urgent with more repetitive lyrics before the music drops out and we get some lovely gang vocals until the horns come back in to finish the song. Places is completed with the song It's A Wonderful Life. Picking the pace back up, the song sees the Jacob Horn Trio at their urgent best. The song starts with a punchy melody that will encourage you to sing along with the band. This style continues throughout all of the verses and sounds superb. Of course, the chorus sounds absolutely massive and there is almost a feeling of celebration as Horn sings about having a great time with friends. The song is about living in a city where everything is too expensive, knowing it would probably be better to leave but deciding to stay because of the great people you surround yourself with. A wonderful way to finish the EP.

Places really is very good. There aren't many bands around making music like this at the moment so there's a freshness about the EP. The urgency spread heavily throughout Places gives it such an infectious energy that it is hard to avoid getting swept away with the songs. If you miss Bomb The Music Industry then I seriously recommend checking out Jacob Horn Trio.

Stream and download Places here: https://jacobhorntrio.bandcamp.com/

Like Jacob Horn Trio here: https://www.facebook.com/jacobhorntrio/

This review was written by Colin Clark.