My Favorite Sounds Were Found
It was the day before Thanksgiving, 2019, and I was trying to see how fast I could run a Porsche Boxster around the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport rental car lot before the wheels would spin. The air was thick with fog and there had been an on-and-off drizzle all day, which I thought would aid me in my experiment- but I eventually realized that the mid-engine balance, combined with a perfectly tuned suspension gave the Porsche more willpower to hold on than I did. For those who have never driven a high-performance automobile, this probably sounds reckless; even dangerous. However, there is a secret to safely driving wicked fast in a powerful car you do not own: the soundtrack. You see, The Judd Zingle Project had just released an EP titled Old School Tribe, and it was my soundtrack of choice that day. I had already sent the man behind The Project, Aidan Dansey, a few gushing DM’s about it; I was impressed, to say the least. I can still hear the purr of the turbocharged flat-4 harmonizing with me as I belted the chorus to “Favorite Sounds”: I’m looking for your lost and found, I think I lost my favorite sounds.
Fast forward to August of 2020. The world is in the midst of the greatest Pandemic since Peace broke out over the Western Front, and the entire music industry is essentially waiting in the hospice unit, unsure of its future. Having not been to show in months, and with reports that live music may not return until 2022, it truly seems as though we have lost our favorite sounds. But, a glimmer of hope on the horizon: a notification about a new Judd Zingle Project EP! Forgetting All My Passwords is the follow up to Old School Tribe, and represents an evolution in sound for Dansey and The JZP. The 3-song EP opens with the eponymous “Forgetting All My Passwords.” The title track fades in with a warm synth pad and delay-laden drum machine, calling to mind some classic pop and New Wave records of the 1980s. Dansey’s vocals come in with a slightly more regal and refined sound, akin to Strangeways-era Morrissey, which seriously puts the cherry on top of the 80s throwback tune. Lyrically, it revisits the previous EP, assuring long time listeners that, “our favorite sounds were found.” A beautiful sentiment in this trying time. The lyrics here a doubly self-referential, as Dansey has clearly tacked in a new sonic direction, and his enjoyment in exploring it is palpable.
“How Does It Work” is a funky, post-punk inspired instrumental piece. A guitar that sounds like it’s overloading the front end of a classic tube console drives the main melody while an ever-present cowbell makes you move your feet to this irresistibly danceable tune. The chorus puts together an excellent melody and counter-melody between the overdriven guitar and bright, full-frequency bass, followed by a verse of what sounds to be a variation on the “Favorite Sounds” guitar riff, another Easter Egg for old fans. Verdict: This Works.
“What Does It Mean” opens with a treat for cowbell fans, as well as a dry and heavily compressed bass line that would sound equally at home in an LCD Soundsystem song or a 90s hip-hop beat.
The song seems to draw from both of these places in fact, as Dansey comes in with an almost spoken-word vocal line, accented by occasional choruses and of course, a “not-so-modest guitar solo.” The sparse arrangement on this one lends an excellent dynamic to the EP, which on the first two tracks sounded fairly dense in their sound stage. Dansey can almost be heard channeling the late, great, Joe Strummer in the vocals, akin to Strummer’s forays into rap music.
Ultimately, Forgetting All My Passwords is an excellent follow-up to The Judd Zingle Project’s previous EP, but it also shows a clear desire by Dansey to not just shore up old sounds, but find new ones. Forgetting All My Passwords feels almost like a stepping stone between the very clearly focused Old School Tribe, with its indie pop and alternative rock vibes, and the next record, whatever it may bring. And, rest assured, whatever new sonic landscape Dansey and JZP land in with their next record, I will be happy to navigate it thoroughly while behind the wheel of a sports car.
