40s for Algernon by Mary Jam

Review written by AlbumBum

40s for Algernon by Mary Jam is a quick to finish album which begs to be listened to on repeat. As of September 8th 2024 only has one of the songs above 1k listens, which I’m certain will be no longer accurate once a mere 10 more people hear the album. This album in particular features eight tracks totalling 16 minutes. Track one is titled Fridge Fits 60. According to their website, this song is “About a mini fridge that fits 60 beers!” It’s a very simple and repetitive song that starts out perfectly with the sound of cracking open a cold one and taking a slurp. Then the singer speaks normally in the beginning while setting a narrative. The voice is difficult to make out between the harsh forced voice and the grainy guitar harmonizing in a way. The rhythm repeated through the song until about 45 seconds from the end when there’s a break. This keeps the energy high for the entire song.

Wheat Water is the second track on the album, obviously about beer. This track showcases their FIDLAR influence and their surfpunk nature in an interesting way. They have one of the most classic blues riffs playing on bass through the entire song starting at 0:06. At this point in the album the subject matter becomes very clear: overindulgence of alcohol. This is definitely a relatable subject to many people in the scene and it seems like they have a complicated relationship with it. Lyrics like “I haven’t slept, I haven’t bathed” “Six beers a day keep my friends away, Cause I’m no fun when I’m drunk” and “I’m all alone, And now I’m just fucking sad” completely contradict with later lyrics of “PBR keeps my evenings bizarre” and “I’m doing fine.” This coupled with the bounciness of the melody and singing illustrate the constant ups and downs of this unstable and debatable enjoyable lifestyle. It’s one of those songs to make you lightly self reflect. Makes you think ‘Do I enjoy living like this? I think I do.’

Track three is Roach Pizza which is an even faster paced piece with beautiful use of the crash symbol. The pause after the initial rift is the type to make you pause your movement and immediately bang your head at the next crash. The obvious fun of this song will cause Cops to give you whiplash, and not from the headbanging. For track four they slow down and get serious. Giving a cold slap to the face of harsh lyrics. This song feels like a reality check, reminding the viewer of their views and the importance of punk music before jumping right into another food-titled song.

Chili Dog features an acoustic style when the drums stop. During this momentary peace the singer has a revelation-sounding lyric. “When will we realize that getting drunk every night is just not that cool anymore.” Even when I first heard this lyric my first response was denial, wanting to justify my own experiences despite already arriving at the same conclusion the singer has. As it’s said in this song, “make no mistake this is not the life that I longed for.”

2 Stroke Lover’s most unique detail is its twinkly almost math rock riffs.

Track seven pulls itself back to its beginning sound and subject matter. “I don’t know when I stopped giving a fuck” brings the earlier lyrics, referencing their most recent bender, a more uncomfortably relatable feeling. A new perspective to the original conclusion in Wheat Water of enjoying a life like this. There’s a spinning motion to the sound from 0:33 to 0:37 which happens a few times. It encapsulates the internal spiral that just speeds up every day in a row you wake up hungover.

Perfectly leading into a campground sounding finale. A crude beginning with a burp clashing with the bright laughter and acoustic guitar. The final lyric of the album is “ And I’ll try the best that I can to write myself a different plan cause drinking the day away is not always as fun as I say” which is a responsible reminder for the immediate next listen-through that will inevitably happen.