Why?

Earlier this month, Californian band Why? released their fourth album titled “Mumps, etc.” The band was born in Berkeley, California of 2004 and is composed of Jonathan “Yoni” Wolf, his brother Josiah Wolf, Doug McDiarmid (Dyarmid) and Liz Hodson. The band is currently touring the US,  but starting November, Europe seems to be its destination.“Mumps, etc” has some kind of indie rap flavor in which it is not sure if the music is made to make you feel and enjoy it or just created for self thought with curious lyrics.

The album’s first song, “Jonathan’s Hope,” starts as an interesting story which tugs at you to listen to its self-evident lyrics, yet once the song reaches its halfway point, you realize that the singer, “Yoni,” will continue to deliver the same feeling of complaining towards life.

The song that stands out in this album is “White English.” This rhythmic song is where the indie rap uniqueness of Why? comes to life. The whole song instantaneously becomes a rhythm that bops your whole body, and promises to finish with you craving for more.

The last song that stands out is “Sod in the Seed.” Why? accents its power to rap the feeling of daily emotions into this song. Its upbeat music mixes with strict vocals and makes the theme comparable to your own opinion.

Why? has a unique style of delivering its opinions in life to its listeners through its rhythmic
flow. “Mumps, etc” was a roller coaster of music experiences. Some of the songs keep you in a constant thrill that is very well delivered, but other songs bore you with the sickly feeling of its lyrics. Like it or not, Why? seems to achieve the feeling they are going for through their lyrics combined with matching emotional melodies in “Mumps, etc.”