Evil Jake has never been shy about wearing power pop and alt rock’s classic songwriting instincts on his sleeve, and Be My Ex-Girlfriend is a full-length showcase of exactly that skill set. Produced by Adam Lasus, whose credits include Yo La Tengo and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and featuring guest turns from Sam Endicott of The Bravery and singer-songwriter Patti Rothberg, the record leans on crunchy guitars, driving rhythms, and sharp, funny-but-honest lyricism, the kind of songwriting that’s landed Evil Jake everywhere from MTV to Jack Black’s School of Rock to multiple USO tours.
Overall, the album is very catchy; pretty much every song here has a real hook to grab onto, but a handful of tracks stand out even against that consistently high bar. “She’s So Lonely” is lyrically moving, and the contrast between that lyric and the upbeat drum groove and rhythm section underneath it creates a genuinely interesting listen, one that rewards repeat plays rather than giving everything away on the first pass. “Falling Man” is supremely melodic, arguably the most purely tuneful moment on the record, while “Saving Grace” carries the most powerful lyric of the bunch, giving the album a real emotional anchor point among all the hooks.
“Say You Love Me” is the catchiest song here, which, given the competition on this record, is a real accomplishment. The title track, “Be My Ex-Girlfriend,” is an incredibly polished song, and it’s easy to understand why the whole album is named after it, tongue-in-cheek charm delivered with a chorus built to stick. “Everything You’d Never Wanna Be” is the record’s most harmonically surprising moment, breaking from the more straightforward pop-rock structures elsewhere to keep the album from ever feeling predictable. “Kiss or Kill” closes things out as the most delicate track on the record dynamically, a welcome change of pace after so much loud, hook-driven energy.
Evil Jake‘s whole approach here sits comfortably alongside acts like Fountains of Wayne, Weezer and The Replacements, and Be My Ex-Girlfriend earns those comparisons across its full runtime rather than just on a single or two. It’s an album built entirely around melody and craft, funny where it wants to be and genuinely moving where it counts, and it holds up as the kind of guitar rock record designed to outlast whatever else is trending around it.
