The Jacklights are a rock and roll rallying cry. Last summer the Boston trio led by Nilagia McCoy landed on our radar with a punchy melodic punk demo called “Bad Memory”, which lamented the shitty times we’re all forced to endure, separated but together. The band’s music that came next followed a similar approach: Bratty, hooky pop-punk that wore its heart on its sleeve and zeroed in on a specific subject with remarkable persuasion, from McCoy’s dislike of winter (this year’s fiery “Winter”) to the pitfalls of soured relationships (“Dump Him” and “Fall Apart” from last fall’s debut EP).
A new five-track EP titled Drift is on the way next month, and the first taste is a metallic ripper lining the shores of pop-punk and college rock called “Eat The Young.” McCoy’s biting lyricisms are again on full display as she confronts the generation gap and the never-ending battle faced by the youth of today: “We did what you told us, followed the rules / And look where it got us, you say we are fools / To want the same things that you had before / Now your house is burning down and you’re locking all the doors.”
The Jacklights recorded their new EP, set for July 27 release via Red On Red Records, with David Minehan at Woolly Mammoth, marking a nice uptick in production values. But in the end it’s all about the message, and McCoy’s are usually the ones that fight back against the bullshit. Dive in via Bandcamp below.