Album Review: Saving The Genre, And You Know It… Split by Jagger Holly & The Windowsill

If I had a pound for every time I spoke of my love of splits then I would probably have an even bigger collection of vinyl and band t-shirts. Splits are such a great way to discover new bands. In December, Ramonescore bands Jagger Holly and The Windowsill released Saving The Genre, And You Know It... on Shield Recordings. Featuring four songs from each band, it promised to be a lot of fun.

The first half of the split features Jagger Holly. Featuring members of Johnie 3, Dee Cracks and On My Arms, Jagger Holly play melodic and catchy pop punk. This is something you would expect from a band who have previously released music on Monster Zero and Out Loud Records. Their first song on the split is titled Nobody Wants You. This is pop punk at its finest – no thrills, catchy, melodic and fun. Jagger Holly will have you singing along in no time with this song about wanting somebody more than anyone else does. Out Of Luck continues down the same musical path but picks up some more delightful harmonies along the way. Something I really enjoy about the sound of the track is how much it reminds me of one of my favourite bands ever – The McRackins. A lot of bands have combined pop punk and summer beach vibes over the years and Jagger Holly do a smashing job of it here.

Better Off (Without You) is a slightly slower almost ballad-like song. It's about trying to convince yourself that you're doing well by yourself after a break-up. The song has a slow build throughout that leads wonderfully to the final chorus which quickly takes up residence in your head and will have you singing along extra passionately. What I love about the song is the simplicity of it all. I feels like a conversation with the band’s singer being backed subtlety by the band and it works brilliantly. The final Jagger Holly track is named All The Boys. This song actually has a bit of an intro that allows you to get excited for what the song is about to go into. All The Boys is perhaps my favourite of the four Jagger Holly tracks on the split. It bridges the gap between pop punk and melodic gruff punk wonderfully. It's got a great fist-in-the-air chorus with some great harmonies and gang vocals. The song is about competing with other people for someone’s affections

The first song from The Windowsill is titled Cigarettes Kill. The Dutch punk rockers play a much more traditional Ramonescore style. Which isn't surprising given that three members of The Windowsill used to play in The Apers and the fourth is a member of Accelerators. The Windowsill certainly have some pedigree. I say Ramonescore and I assume you know what to expect – buzzing guitars, a pounding drumbeat and an urgent sounding vocal with plenty of harmonies. It's a simple formula and The Windowsill do it really well. Cigarettes Kill has a great amount of energy around it and will have you bopping along in no time at all. Don't Worry Baby is another great example of simple brilliance. There's a no thrills feel that makes the track really accessible but there's enough about the way in which everything is delivered to keep the song feeling fresh. This is very impressive songwriting. Don't Worry Baby is about being there for the person you care about when they're going through the tough times.

Lead Back To You has the best harmonies of the entire record on them. They happen in the last act of the song and has me itching to see it live. This is a break-up song, as lead singer Marien Nicotine looks back over a past relationship about how and why things fell apart. There's a sadness about the song that you don't often feel in this style of music and, do you know what, I like it. The harmonies at the song’s ending make it feel as if this should be the last song but there's still one to go – Last September. Wow, I loved how Last September starts. It's surprising and a bit startling but will welcome everyone into the song brilliantly. It's a punchy yet somehow melodic opening that will get you singing along from the outset. The chorus continues in that fashion but picks the pace up somewhat, adding some fantastic urgency to this final song.

This is a fantastic split by two brilliant pop punk bands. I was very impressed with both band’s sides of the split and both have me wanting to check out more from Jagger Holly and The Windowsill. I guess this was the idea of the split and it was quite the success.

Stream and download Saving The Genre, And You Know It… here.

Like Jagger Holly here and like The Windowsill here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.