The Juliana Theory
Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat

THE REVIEW

As a band with a low commercial profile (certainly in Italy), the Juliana Theory are somewhat peculiar in the crowded system of American emo rock. While their beginnings were purely indebted to the aforementioned genre, with this "Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat," they have evolved. The maturation might be due to a series of internal issues, various label-related troubles, group discrepancies, elements that led to the band’s breakup two years ago. Just enough time to produce this final work, the fourth studio album, featuring a more aggressive sound, more rock 360°, with late-adolescent content that's easily relatable, also thanks to objectively friendly melodies, played on immediately catchy choruses, intense and effective.

As popular wisdom suggests, not all donuts come out with a hole. Indeed, alongside tracks with great drive, fast-paced and engaging, there are others more mellow, too pop, and sappy.

Interesting in this regard are the opener "This Is A Lovesong... For The Loveless," "Shotgun Serenade," "My Heart Is A Soldier," and "10000 Questions," adrenaline-filled and played in one breath, as well as "I Love You To Death," with guitars expanding into airy almost post-rock lullabies. Slightly more colorless are the remaining tracks, among which "Leave Like A Ghost" stands out negatively (at least in my opinion), centered on a melodic base and a conceptual platter already heard; the rest floats in the norm, perpetually balancing between extreme catchiness and a sense of déjà vu, but not for this reason worthy of being discarded.

In conclusion, an interesting group whose evolution I would have liked to follow, which, if it had followed the path outlined by this record, would have given us a mature and reliable band. What happened to JT vaguely reminds me of the story of Matchbook Romance, who also broke up at the point of great change (that "Voices," also already reviewed, generated and continues to generate more than contrasting opinions). Rating 7, therefore, with a touch of regret and sadness for the loss of a band with great prospects.