EP REVIEW: An Anthropologist On Mars – Justin Courtney Pierre

Justin Courtney Pierre of MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK fame is a front man and lyricist known for his self-deprecating humour and relatability. The problems and feelings he has journaled one each subsequent MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK record has garnered him a popularity that, in a sense, has outweighed the size and scope of his main band. He’s the perfect leader for a pop-punk band; a genre well documented in its ability to stir the emotions and salve the broken hearts of young people the world over. And for those wondering if Pierre has strayed far from his roots on his latest solo EP, An Anthropologist On Mars, they’ll be pleased to know that all of his best qualities, and those of his band, are well preserved here, as they were on his first full length, LP, In The Drink. This latest ep has all the sonic qualities of MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK, but with and even more personal approach to lyric writing and an abridged style that packs a lot of emotion into five tiny packages.

This is readily apparent with first track Dying to Know. At a scant minute and forty seconds, Pierre manages to weave skilled word flow and delivery on top of some really hooky melodies into this short track. He also shows his other penchant for simple and emotive guitar work that pulls in the opposite direction of flashy. He knows how to squeeze the most out of every note. Add his long history of clever and deeply self probing lyricism and the EP is off to a solid start. I Hate Myself takes that previous sentence and goes even further in the upliftingly melancholic direction, if that oxymoron makes any sense. The bouncy melody and keyboard work certainly call MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK to mind, and the piercing and oh so familiar words Pierre sings certainly hit pretty hard to most everyone, as the feelings of self hatred are, from the first line, colloquial and plain spoken.

Footsteps is the first standard length song of the EP, and features even more clever wordplay. But what really sets this song apart is Pierre‘s emotion. His voice rises and swells and carries the hooks exactly as they need to be. This song isn’t among the best on the EP, but it still has that sense of fun, with handclaps punctuating the percussion and adding to the atmosphere of the track. Promise Not To Change picks up the pace and cuts down the time yet again. It’s frantic and vulnerable. Perhaps that’s the best word to the way Pierre sings his words. He’s an emotionally vulnerable man who remains lovable in his everyman way. It’s a scattered and highly emotional track, but one of the most potent on the record,

And following it up is perhaps the best track. Illumination hits with a humorous punch from it’s opening line of “I used to be cool, I used to be very cool. Save for the acid wash.” It’s a perfect encapsulation of Pierre‘s brand of lyric writing. The whole song takes on this aura of sweetness and sentimentality that pairs so well with Pierre’s soft vulnerability and earnestness. Topping off the song is a keyboard/synth solo that will certain call to mind MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK records like Even If It Kills Me.

An Anthropologist On Mars contains all the trappings that fans would expect. Justin Courtney Pierre. doesn’t take many risks and not every song is a winner, but fans of his previous work will find more than enough to love here, and newcomers will discover a sweet and succinct piece of pop punk that feels instantly relatable and catchy, with words that speak to the contradiction of pleasure and pain that is existence in this wild life.

Rating: 7/10

An Anthropologist on Mars is set for release March 12th via Epitaph Records. 

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