Since his 2018 collaboration with Jay Som (Nothing’s Changed), Justus Proffit has racked up acclaim for his utterly expressive, instrumentally diverse discography. It’s easy to listen to his entire catalog without feeling as though you want to skip anything (and I would know; I have personal experience doing just that).
Much of his work is easily consumable and utterly earworm-worthy. His most recent EP, Return 2 Zero, for example, is laid-back and dreamy in the vein of indie pop, joining synths with light guitar. It’s the perfect soundtrack for a warm spring day spent lounging in a grassy field and staring up at the clouds. With his most recent release, however, Proffit takes a slightly different path than the one he’s most commonly traveled. Rather than making you want to cloud-watch, “Weaker Everyday” might encourage you to get up and chase them instead.
With this single, Proffit has abandoned the softer discretion of many of his previous releases, instead, opting for frenzied guitar and leaning on reverb. Channeling what can only be described as a mesh between garage rock, surf punk, and whatever else you might associate with the likes of Jay Reatard, Tijuana Panthers, Beach Goons, and even The Growlers, this track is immediately enticing due to its instrumentation.
The track’s music video exhibits Comedy Central regular, Tennessee Luke, playing a campy, highly expressive caricature of Proffit, a man who is clearly overwhelmed. “I don’t feel like going out / I’m just sleeping in today,” Proffit professes as Luke angrily types away at his keyboard and jams out with his band as opposed to doing the work he’s actually supposed to. The track, with this lyrical content in mind, is chock full of malaise, starkly contrasting the upbeat, head-bobbing instrumentation.
In line with our current predicament, the themes expressed here are all the more relevant. Being cooped up all day and trying to stay productive (because that feels necessary, in spite of how stressful everything is right now) is enough to drive someone mad. It’s tricky — balancing your own demons with the pressures around you — and that’s true even when you’re not in quarantine during a global pandemic. With this in mind, “Weaker Everyday” shows Proffit at his wit’s end, finally letting loose, and saying “enough is enough” to free himself from whatever has been deeming him “weaker.” Considering how awful our current climate is, doesn’t he deserve to lighten up a little?
Ultimately — on top of its all too relatable material — this single is extremely catchy which makes it a daring, but successful venture for Proffit. It’s refreshing to see the LA indie powerhouse heading in a slightly different direction, but not at the expense of his emotive prowess.
