Review written by Bryan "Jonesy" Jones
Junior is a thrilling effort from a band on the rise, showcasing Tiff Hannay (singer/guitarist) and Caleb Shook (lead guitar) near-boundless potential, though it’s very clear they have not quite reached their peak yet. But just as the standout lyric “homesick for a place I have never been” from “Lonesome” puts it, the album hits buttons you didn’t know you had.
The artwork for Rodeo Boy’s latest album, Junior, will hit the nostalgia button for any X-Files fan -- an amazing feat considering singer, Tiff Hannay, reminds listeners they are about to turn 30 in “Speedway,” making them only 7 years old when the last episode of the original series aired. Although given the wisdom of their lyrics, it's not hard to imagine a precocious Hannay choosing to watch X-Files over Dora the Explorer.
That wisdom is evident in the standout track “All American Man,” which is Tiff Hannay’s first power ballad. They posted this playful and bathetic description of the song to their Instagram:
“‘All American Man’ is like if someone wrote ‘Pink Pony Club’ for masc people [signed] - big corporate magazine.”
While it’s tempting to say it really is “Pink Pony Club” for the masc, doing so dulls the sharp edges of Hannay’s insights. Inspired by the two-headed calf poem that went viral a few years ago, “All American Man” captures the tragic beauty of queer life in the Midwest. With so much American discourse on gender seeking to force people into tiny boxes, Hanny’s lyrics reflect the way All-American ‘men’ can push against those boundaries and create a welcoming sense of pride and belonging for people with a head in more than one box. “Will you love me forever? Whatever shape that I’m in?”
When Hannay sings “I was born a perfect model,” you might think they mean something positive. But as the song sweeps on, it becomes clear that the “museum” where they are put on display is a museum of freaks and oddities. By the end of the song, it’s clear that being an oddity is something to be proud of.
It’s an important message for anyone seeking to police gender in the scene, and offers a great retort for those posting boomer memes online. There's one in particular that pops up a lot. It features Homer Simpson with a full head of hair, smoking and wearing a Ramones T-shirt. The texts reads, “Punks Before.” Below that image is the text “Punks Now” and a picture of Bart posing in front of the No Sexism sign from 924 Gilman while wearing high heels and blue hair.
Following Hannay, we might imagine Bart responding with a simple, “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
In terms of content, the song is not a radical departure from anything found on the band’s 2023 debut album Home Movies, but the ballad form allows Hannay space to explore the playful queer-rebellion they sprinkle throughout all their songs more fully. Lyrics like, “I’ve finally come of age and you come too / I play for keeps but you break all the rules” in the up-tempo “Sam’s Song” might blow by you on first listen, only to sneak up on you and hit you with the full force of their wit at an unexpected moment. In contrast, the ballad form of “All American Man” lets listeners savor lyrics like, “My novelty is wearing thin” because it's followed by a sweet and short guitar solo that allows the sentiment to hang.
The room to ruminate in a ballad is greatly appreciated. Guitarist Caleb Shook, who usually sports an EyeHateGod t-shirt on stage, provides a tonic sensibility that gives the song much of its masc edge. He gives it a Midwestern twang, blending harmonics that almost-but-not-quite feedback with a distortion that is dark without sounding flat, perfect for accenting his beautifully placed bends. This sensibility is on full display in “Lonesome Again,” too.
The song ends with noise reminiscent of tuning an old AM radio, sending and receiving signals in infinite directions across infinite distances. To quote the two-headed calf poem, “There are twice as many stars in the sky.”
“All American Man” isn't the only standout on Junior. The aforementioned “Sam’s Song” deserves several replays. With consent, Hannay wrote this scorcher using journal entries from a childhood friend struggling with the effects of being groomed by an 8th-grade English teacher. It definitely demands repeat listens, as the song’s relentless drive bashes the lyrical content into your brain. It just won’t all fit on one listen. You might think it’s a simple break-up song at first, but the shouts of “I’m gonna tell, tell your wife” delivered at the end crystallize once lyrics like “I’ve finally come of age” come into context.
There’s plenty to get excited about on this album, even if some might complain that it’s uneven and could use at least one more brilliant ballad to round out the tracklist. Another stand-out, “Speedway,” grabs you with a foreboding bassline that drives the song to heights unexplored on previous endeavors. But long-term listeners might find themselves missing the playful nods to country riffs that appear on tracks like “Feel the Same” from Home Movies.
Whatever your take, it’s clear Junior explores themes consistent with the artwork on the cover from angles at once playful and emotionally mature, making it a gem in anyone's emerging best-of list this year.
I was lucky enough to see them open for Bad Cop/Bad Cop when they played OKC and they're energetic and entertaining without looking staged. In fact, their on-stage antics drew the attention of bassist Linh Le, who videoed them doing a pretty impressive tumbling act at the end of their set. Check them out when they perform near you.