“Sweet Tooth” is Mom Jeans.’ leap of faith

The internet’s favorite sad boys have come back swinging with their third record “Sweet Tooth.” Moving away from their midwest emo band origins, Mom Jeans. have embraced the music of their youth and created a pop-punk record that artfully combines their usual lovelorn, whiny lyrics with hooky songs perfect for screaming at a concert. 

Their first two albums, “Best Buds” and “Puppy Love,” were filled with low energy, slightly more obscure songs that were perfect for listening alone in the dark, sobbing into your pillows. On this record, the sobbing still comes into play; however, it’s more likely to start while you jump around your room and pretend you’re at a blink-182 concert. 

This is a welcome change for the band. The opening track “Something Sweet” launches into their harder sound, and it’s immediately clear that the energy has changed. What remains however, is the pining, depressing lyrics that are still searching for someone or something to take the pain away. The second track, “What’s Up?,” released in 2021 as a single, racked up over 2 million plays on Spotify ahead of the album’s release, and by listening to the lyrics, it’s obvious why. Vocalist Eric Butler yells away, “But still I’m just pretending that I’m fine / When I’m feeling lousy all the time / I’m such a fuck / I’m such a fucking piece of shit / And you hate me for it.” This new pop-punk sound matches the regretful, angry and self-deprecating themes present in Mom Jeans.’ sound since their beginning. 

“This record was definitely an attempt to write songs and put together an album that had more broad listening appeal,” said Butler in an interview with the Alternative Press.

Regrettably, in their effort to have a more radio-friendly sound, we have lost some of the more iconic song titles that most people know them for (“Scott Pilgrim vs. My GPA” and “jon bong jovi,” anyone?). 

In looking back to their pop-punk predecessors, Mom Jeans. have taken some of the most fun elements of that time in music, such as the count-off refrain in “Anime Theme Song” and concert-ready chanting at the end of “Hippo In the Water.” They have definitely succeeded in making an album that’s ready for radio play, as these nods to their favorite bands will resonate with larger audiences.

However, it is a relief that Mom Jeans. have stayed in familiar territory with their lyrics and themes as they take risks with their sound, for it makes a great bridge between the old and the new. The greatness of Mom Jeans. comes from their relatability. Each of their records has featured relatable, everyday topics. We can’t relate to a famous band wrecking a hotel room or going crazy in Vegas, but we can relate to one that, after a bad breakup in “Crybaby (On the Phone),” sings “And I’ll never undеrstand why you’d do this to me / You really messеd me up / I’ll load all my stuff in the back / Of Brandon’s 2011 Toyota RAV-4.” We all have a friend with a 2011 Toyota RAV-4 to support us, don’t we?

Similarly, on tracks like “White Trash Millionaire” and “Anime Theme Song,” Mom Jeans. return to their well-loved, relatable themes of trying to stay sober — “So as the months get colder, I’m less sober / I’ll see your face over and over” — and hating yourself in relation to other people’s opinions — “​​Baby, I’m sorry, don’t wanna be lonely / I’ll change if I have to, just wanna be with you tonight.” 

Mom Jeans. have never strayed away from some truly depressing topics, but in “Graduating Life,” we see a new mastery of mature and artistic descriptions of pain. It’s a truly emotional and softer track compared to the rest of the album that gives us a glimpse of their future progression after this record. It’s obvious they came into this album with a more nuanced vision for their work, and it shows in lyrics such as “The future seemed so bright / But you just can’t wait to graduate life / This moment feels so nice, but you just can’t wait to graduate life.” The simple acoustic backing gives the song a gravitas it would not have had otherwise, with a wonderful little horn section in there, too. 

Mom Jeans. have truly moved in a new, inspiring direction with “Sweet Tooth,” and it makes looking to the future exciting. Taking influences from new places and having a different perspective for their band, they have pushed themselves to create songs that are more complex and interesting but still have their lovable relatability and Butler’s whiny yet endearing voice. After a stunner like this, it seems the only place to go is up.