When Brand New dropped Your Favorite Weapon in 2001, few could have predicted the monumental impact the Long Island band would have on alternative music in the decade that would follow. At its core their debut was a fiery pop-punk record, drenched in youthful angst, sharp melodies, and Jesse Lacey’s piercingly personal lyrics. The energy was infectious, whether in the razor-sharp riffs of “Jude Law and a Semester Abroad” or the biting honesty of “Seventy Times 7” which was alternative rock’s answer to the hip hop beefs from the mid-90’s. Even on their first outing, Lacey’s lyrical brilliance shone through, foreshadowing the introspective and poetic style that would define Brand New’s later work. His ability to navigate heartbreak, betrayal, and longing with biting wit and emotional depth stood out in the pop-punk landscape, elevating the band above their peers– there’s so many incredible one-liners on this album that they’re nearly impossible to count. The standout of course comes from the bridge of “Seventy Times 7” where Lacey lays down a brutal howitzer that cuts right to the bone:
Is that what you call a getaway? Tell me what you got away with
I’ve seen more spine in jellyfish, I’ve seen more guts in eleven year old kids
So have another drink and drive yourself home, I hope there’s ice on all the roads
You can think of me when you forget your seatbelt and again when your head goes through the windshield
Beneath the album’s polished hooks and blistering pace lay a vulnerability that resonated with a generation of fans searching for their own catharsis. During high school my friends and I were absolutely obsessed with this album, and Brand New became a real fixture in my life from middle school all the way through college and into adulthood across a variety of friend groups. The funny thing about it is that this album almost never happened– the band’s initial recordings were lost when a hard drive failed, forcing them to start from scratch (sounds kinda familiar doesn’t it?) but that pressure seemed to light a fire under the group and resulted in a debut that buzzed with raw emotion and unfiltered energy.
Your Favorite Weapon laid the foundation for Brand New’s evolution into one of the most revered bands in alternative rock. While their sound would grow darker and more experimental in later years, culminating in their magnum opus The Devil & God Are Raging Inside Me in 2006, the unrelenting honesty and emotional weight of this debut remained a throughline throughout their career. It marked the beginning of an epic journey, with Your Favorite Weapon serving as a snapshot of a band in their earliest, most unrestrained form.
Standout Songs: “Jude Law And A Semester Abroad”, “Sudden Death in Carolina”, “Mix Tape”, “Logan To Government Center”, “Seventy Times 7”, “Soco Amaretto Lime”
