Joey Sprinkles is no newbie to the music scene. He’s been creating music his entire life, whether it’s solo, as a collaborative effort, in a bedroom, or on tour. His latest creation, Bubble Guts, is a solo album being released on Mirror Universe Tapes this week. We’ve got your first listen right here.
The ten track pop album starts with “All Is Well”, convincing us that we are about to listen to one of the most positive tracks. One thing to note is that Sprinkles’ voice maintains at a higher octave, making even the most gnarly of guitar riffs sound upbeat. “Guess It’s Now” starts off a little slower, an acoustic song that is, once again, a positive spin on not knowing exactly what he’s doing with life. “Bugs On Lightbulbs” is a spastic song, utilizing sound effects that are akin to Ataris, Sega Genesis, and other older games and gaming systems. The sounds, in fact, drown out Joey’s voice with their intensity. This, perhaps, is a nod to the sound bugs might make when they are zapped.
“You’re Part Of It” is the first melancholic song of note, transitioning into the heavy – but slower tempo – of fifth track “Midnite Blue” quite nicely. “Destinight” brings on an upbeat feel to a more depressing topic, with lyrics such as “I think my choice is pointless” and “I wake up to take a place in line” highlighting that fact. “Where Did I Go” also speaks to a less enlightened idea, talking about the mundanity of the every day. (We feel you, Joey.)
“Penny Schemes” holds our favorite composition of the album, while “Dead Conviction” hits heavy from the beginning, a garage punk/rock departure from its predecessors. His discussion of “balls” is perhaps our favorite stream of lyrics on the album, but that’s also if you’re talking to our thirteen year old selves. (And you are.) Joey decided to round out the work with “What To Live For”, which once again wraps up a melancholic idea into a sweet sundae of sound. It’s a little bit surf pop, a little bit garage rock, and 100% the best way to end Bubble Guts.
“Even someone as pure as Joey Sprinkles can’t completely conceal the darkness beneath the surface, even if its only on a subconscious level,” admits Joey. “And that’s exactly what happened with Bubble Guts, I deliberately tried to not second guess any of the music or lyrics and just run with it whether I understood it or not. The outcome was a sugary veneer with some heavily weighted subject matter such as death, purpose, and the modern condition in general. It’s like I really want things to be happy and good and can even fool myself into believing they are, but the reality is much more stark and grave for me.”
Bubble Guts is out September 23rd via Mirror Universe. It is available for preorder now.
