We Were Promised Jetpacks: "It's Thunder and It's Lightning"

Juke Box Hero with us today with another new band for the list, the Scottish band We Were Promised Jetpacks.

This Edinburgh-formed indie rock foursome lists The Twilight Sad among their influences, so it’s no surprise I found myself digging them out of the ol’ iTunes playlist after writing about The Sad a few weeks ago. The Jetpacks share a few things sonically with their role modes – including fantastic and clearly audible, if not comprehensible, brogues – but separate themselves with an energy that’s not necessarily greater, but certainly more frenetic than their shoegazing countrymen, the Sad.

The Jetpacks are another example of kids living the dream: They started making a name for the band after winning a local battle of the bands; Fat Cat Records took notice after friends and future label mates Frightened Rabbit talked up the songs streaming on their MySpace page. A few years and two full-length records later, the boys are pretty much on their way, touring internationally and playing to packed houses (though somehow I’ve missed them twice in the last year at two different venues within an hour of me). Sure makes it sound pretty easy to make it as a musician, eh?

Though I used the word "frenetic" earlier to describe their energy, the Jetpacks are a bit more well- rounded than that one adjective. There’s a lot of dynamic fluctuation in their tracks, but they keep the energy constant with driving tempos throughout. In quieter sections that are either cooling off or building up to louder, heavier passages, there’s still an emotional thread that’s maintained rhythmically, giving the impression that things might just explode at any instant.

When they do explode, as you can see and hear in this video, it’s not always the prettiest. Hell, it’s a bit harsh at times. These guys were obviously juked up for this live-radio performance; they rush sporadically, have tuning issues – everything just sounds a bit on edge, a bit too tight. But it’s an honest, endearing performance. You can tell they care a lot about their music, about putting on a good show. I'm not saying those qualities alone make a band good, but they can go a long way in helping develop even a modest talent and skill into something truly great. Keep an eye on these guys.