Jimmy Urine does not care what you think
James Euringer, better known as Jimmy Urine, is best known for fronting electropunk band Mindless Self Indulgence. Euringer is Jimmy’s first solo album, and he doesn’t stray very far from MSI’s sound. Jimmy’s singing is outrageous and dynamic, and the lyrics are often bizarre and impassioned. The intro is one long trigger warning and tries a little too hard for edgy tone, but it’s obvious that this is more of a joke than a serious affair.
The production is all over the place. “Problematic” features both trap drums and pop-rock instrumentation. “That’s How Jimmy Gets Down” is an electropop flavored industrial song; the synth programming and production values are pretty high, and Jimmy does a good job with song structure. While his lyrics are often shallow and immature, he has a lot of vocal range and diversity. “Be Afraid of Who You Are” has its moments. The synth programming sounds great, and while the trap drums feel a little stale, the vocal performances are fun and keep the track fresh.
On “Wuthering Heights” Jimmy tries his best Tiny Tim impression, and this high register singing sounds more awkward than interesting. The treble-heavy synth arpeggios don’t mesh well with the treble-heavy vocals, leaving much of the track unbalanced. “Detroit and Only Half Way Thru The Tour” is a fun track as Jimmy speaks about the shitty side of being in a touring rock band. The instrumentation turns up the dial on the pop-punk, and this sounds like it would have been a 2007 chart topper. “What a Fool Believes” is a strange mix of ’80s nostalgia and Jimmy’s charismatic self-unawareness. The track is exceptionally strange, and the production takes references from retro video games; there are glitches, clingy singing and a long warped outro sample. Jimmy uses samples to try and give the album some sense of cohesion and theme. The results are mixed while some of these are fun and add to the music, the technique is overused and distracts from the music.
Jimmy Urine delivers a lot of interesting ideas with Euringer. Written to be a symbol of self-identity, it is pretty easy to get a sense of Jimmy as a person listening to his music. Its brash, uncaring of what people think, and he doesn’t stay in one lane or commit to one sound. The production takes references from ’80s electropunk, industrial goth, pop punk and even mainstream trap. And while not entirely a success, Euringer offers a lot, especially for fans of MSI. Jimmy’s singing and detailed production keep things from getting boring, making Euringer worth a shot.
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