Words by Emilia D’Albero

The Static Jacks are a band built for intimate environments, and it really showed during their record release party at The Studio @ Webster Hall on September 24th.

After sets by openers Cosmonaut, Flagship, and the Can’t Tells, the audience eagerly awaited The Static Jack’s entrance to the stage. The mixture of fans was varied; everyone from old high school friends to family members to fangirls came out to support the band for the release of their brand new record, In Blue.

Their relationship with and appreciation for their fans and friends is readily apparent when you see them in action, smiling and bursting with energy. As they took the stage, they opened with a cover of “Rock and Roll Pt. II,” encouraging everyone to sing along and thrust their fists in the air, screaming “HEY!” and anxiously awaiting the rest of the set, which was sure to be full of new surprises and old hits.

Barreling directly into one of their latest hits, “I’ll Come Back,” the band set the tone for the rest of the entire show- fun, energetic, and a little bit rough, as their more “die-hard” fans dedicated themselves to jumping and dancing without stopping for the entire 15-song set. After two of their latest singles, “Young Guns” off of this summer’s Spray Tan EP, and “Wallflowers” off of In Blue, they introduced some new material.

“Home Again” and “We’re Alright” are both typical Static Jacks tunes- just heavy enough to headbang along with the beat, just happy enough to love singing along with it- but they really showcase the band’s ability to evolve and mature without losing the essence of what they’re about musically. “Ninety Salt” is definitely a standout track on In Blue. It is much heavier than their usual style, and sounds incredible live. It’s my personal favorite on the album, but picking one was such a hard choice, especially after hearing the emotional range of all the songs.

Next came “This Is Me Dancing,” a fan favorite off of If You’re Young, which was very well received by the crowd; it seemed like the entire basement was singing along with frontman Ian Devaney, whose onstage personality is one of the brightest and most endearing ones around. Following “Into the Sun” with new track “Katie Said” was a good choice, as the songs complement each other in terms of maintaining a certain level of energy, and proved that “Katie Said” is another standout track off of In Blue that you’ll want to listen to again and again.

Closing with title track “In Blue,” the band displayed their ability to create an almost tangible sense of raw emotion in the room, especially with lyrics like “Realize that I’m just sorry/and I know that you’re still lonely…” that have a different, yet strong, effect on everyone who hears them.

All 5 members of the band have such a commanding stage presence as a unit that’s it’s impossible to tear your eyes away from even one of them for more than a few seconds. They know how to grab your attention and keep it until the very last note of the last song, and then have you begging for more- which they certainly did at this show, as the entire basement full of people started screaming “One more song!” the second the band put their instruments down at the end of the show. The band obliged, and ended their album release show with a rousing rendition of “Mercy Hallelujah”, during which the rhythmic claps of the audience in the beginning were almost louder than the drums themselves.

Seeing the Static Jacks live is such an incredible experience, and as I walked the streets of New York covered in sweat with a giant smile plastered across my face, I felt lucky that I was able to share the experience of their album release show with both the band and the rest of their family and friends. In Blue is definitely some of their best work to date, and it will undoubtedly do well as the Static Jacks tour the country promoting it.

www.staticjacks.com

TheWaster.com | New York City
09.30.13