Other Jesus rise up with new album, Everything Is Problematic

They’re not even two-years old yet, but art rock trio Other Jesus have made a name for themselves in the underground music scene with their quirky jams and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. The band have thrived in Vancouver’s tightly-knit creative community and made a home of Red Gate, one of Hasting Street’s many inconspicuous independent art spaces, where they first formed and now perform together frequently.

Other Jesus released their second album, “Everything Is Problematic” in mid-September. At first listen, the band play as a much tighter unit than on last year’s debut, “Bachelor of Arts,” and seem to have honed in on their sound. Though it’s still satisfyingly full of lo-fi chords and fuzzy noise, the music leans more into the melodic undercurrents of 1980s post-punk and is spit-shined just enough that it retains its grit. There’s even a revved-up version of “Horses” (first heard on Bachelor).

Content-wise, Everything Is Problematic touches on everything from orthodontics to society. The album title itself is named after an article written by a McGill student that discusses the group mentality of anti-oppressive politics. But, true to form, Other Jesus don’t take themselves too seriously and pair such concepts with a sardonic wit — see “Eggs PT One” and “Eggs PT Two.”

By strengthening their musical muscles so much in such a short period of time, Other Jesus show just how great their aptitude and appetite for their craft is. In the same progressive vein, the band have also updated their pseudonyms — bassist formally known as Auntie Christ now goes by Foamy Bottomeater; drummer Jose & Maria is now Tuna Turner; and guitarist Sheik Hardy has become Urethra Franklin.

Everything Is Problematic is available online and at Horses Records, Audiopile, Neptoon Records, and Red Cat Records.