To me, there’s nothing quite like the pure emotion in Jeff Rosenstock’s music. I have followed Jeff Rosenstock for a while now, and with his latest release of the LP HELLMODE, Rosenstock delivers with one of my favorite projects of the year so far.

My top track off the album has to be “LIKED U BETTER.” The song starts with chords on an acoustic guitar — so bare. Soon after, Rosenstock is blasting at me with distorted guitars, powerful vocals and a horde of unapologetic emotion. The building of the song is done so well. Jeff says, “Creepin’ out the fog I start to sense that something’s wrong,” alluding to the undeniably catchy chorus where he shouts, “I liked you better when you weren’t on my mind.” Lyrically, the song is strong and tells the story of someone who is dealing with the feeling of unwanted attachment. 

Rosenstock shoots out some exceptionally raw vocals that give me goosebumps when I listen. The instrumentals and vocals create a song that seems so happy at face value, but the lyrics bring out the feeling of melancholy. I cannot help but feel emotional while listening. It is a joy to listen to; I can’t tell if I want to dance to the jumpy guitar riff or walk on the street contemplating my past and all my life decisions. Everything combined just creates this phenomenal juxtaposition.

All in all, Jeff Rosenstock perfectly encapsulates the situation he is trying to portray and has created one of the biggest ear-worms in the process. “LIKED U BETTER” is a song that isn’t coming off my rotation anytime soon.