Jangus Kangus returns with "Fortune Cookie," an album at once raw and refreshing, a sound that reads like a classic and simultaneously so fuckin’ fresh. This is the first proper full-length non-DIY underground release from the garage-surf-rock collective led by the independent Jasmine Sankaran. Served as a tightly wound eight-song, 31-minute affair, “Fortune Cookie” is a punchy, no-frills compilation that punches right to the core.
Right from the album's start with the peppy, high-energy song "High Rise," listeners are introduced to a realm of music art street, a fusion of grungy guitars and cut-throat lyricism. It is a song that captures the daring, unapologetic attitude of the entire album. Sankaran’s snarky but vulnerable vocals slice through the mix like a knife, leaving a bloody trail in every verse she sings. Another standout, “Double Lives,” plumb the depths of selfhood and how we present ourselves and the person we are daily. The song combines surfy guitar lines with punky propulsion and lyrics that gab with a caustic tone. It’s the kind of song that leaves you wondering where you fit in all of this, delivered in a bounce of catchy indie-rock flair.
“Fortune Cookie” is poetry to Sankaran's path as an artist, storyteller, and creative energy. Her knack for being both the villain and the hero of her stories gives the album a unique edge, as it feels both navel-gazing and relatable. Each track is a snapshot of vulnerability and self-reflection, all against a backdrop of gnarly garage-rock instrumentation.
“Fortune Cookie” is an album that subverts what we want our indie music to be. It’s tuneful, and quasi-punk, with an indomitable indie spirit coursing through. This drop cements their status as one of LA's most forward and fearless creative forces.
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