Straight Outta Junior High – Kiss of Deaf

Started in Lincoln, Nebraska as a joke by three guys wanting to have fun, Straight Outta Junior High has grown and matured, I use that term loosely, since it’s humble beginnings. It’s been two years and they are now ready to release their debut album, Kiss Of Deaf, on Mindset Records and quite frankly, it is any punk fan’s guilty little pleasure.

SOJH is fast paced, catchy, pop-punk very similar to that of The Vandals and Gutttermouth; with lyrical content of the same genre as well. By far, the best thing about this album is the lyrics. Immature, comical, idiotic. All three are words that spring to mind when you are thinking about their lyrics. You can tell they are in the business really just for the fun of it all and for the love of music after hearing each and every song. Take Happy Fun Song for instance, all that is is Japanese words, brand names and famous quotes. Its simple and has no real point, but is still incredibly fun to listen to. Or listen to Girlfriend, “Girlfriend, I wouldn’t care if you smelled like cat piss, I’d still think you were great.”. Of course you can’t forget “Why did monkeys use my mouth as a toilet and then decide to wipe with my hand?” from Wasted. All these plus more songs about assholes, divas, lesbians, threesomes, friends having sex with their best friend’s dad, running away from Limp Bizkit‘s music, and so on are just a lot of fun to listen to. It gives you a much needed escape from the onslaught of serious and thought provoking lyrics we have seen lately.

Kiss Of Deaf reminds me of many bands. Old Blink182 comes to mind for they have that same fast paced pop-punk sound that gets you singing along immediately and tapping your foot with the beat. Maybe even Feeble Weiner because of the lyrical content; but SOJH has much better musical parts then FW. As I said before, The Vandals and Guttermouth could also be pulled in. Straight Outta Junior High is perfect band to help you get away from the more serious and intense bands and help you to just relax and have some fun.