What I enjoy most about the Jesus and Mary Chain is arguably also their biggest flaw. The band’s slacker energy meets wall of feedback with a surprisingly melodic twist has always worked for me, but it kind of blurs together after a while. It’s kind of rainy day music – hence the classic “Happy When It Rains” off 1987’s Darklands. The band broke up in 1999, reforming in 2007. I listened to the 2017 comeback record and didn’t mind it, but never really dove in deep.
Newly released in 2024, Glasgow Eyes sounds like classic JAMC, and that’s an accomplishment given how most reunions work out. It does sound a little different, too, of course. The modern production is bigger, louder, and cleaner – which could be divisive depending what you like about the group. It highlights their melodies more than the fuzz. And I notice a lot more synthesizer tones throughout, which give a new tone of the sun breaking through the clouds instead of wallowing in the mist. “Silver Strings” is a good highlight of how Glasgow Eyes integrates more synth sounds and with dark pop sensibilities.
In some ways, this record almost feels fun. The band is very self-aware, in a way that somewhat contrasts with the more serious musical tones. The lead single is called “jamcod” to get right to that point, and the namedropping self-callouts continue in “Second of June.” Semi-related, “The Eagles and The Beatles” is a playful ode to rock ‘n’ roll that pays homage to Joan Jett and plenty more of the classics with namedrops galore. The overall vibe on this record is a little more sunny and positive.
I’ve said to friends how I respect the reunited bands that are putting out new music. Even if the new music isn’t hitting me the same way, it suggests that their hearts are still in it. Heart is maybe a funny word for a band like Jesus and Mary Chain, whose sound has always been a little too cool too care, but on Glasgow Eyes it feels alive and in-the-now. This record doesn’t wow me, but it affectively fits into their catalog and reminds me why I enjoy the band. My gripe is ultimately the same one I had in the ‘90s, so I think means they’re doing it right. Overall I think their sound gets a little same-y in big doses, which is why I’m not a completist but I certainly still enjoy them. Here, they’ve taken their classic sound and updated it with some modern flourishes that compliment rather than overpower. I wouldn’t use Glasgow Eyes to introduce people to the band, but this is still an enjoyable listen with a modern vibrancy that feels authentic.
