JOVI SKYLER GETS LOUD, WEIRD, AND WONDERFULLY UNPOPULAR ON NEW ALBUM
There’s something refreshing about an album that doesn’t try too hard to fit whatever's popular at the moment. On Unpopular, Jovi Skyler looks backward for inspiration while keeping his eyes firmly on the present, pulling from the dirty guitars of ’90s grunge, alternative rock, punk, psychedelia, and even a little surf rock.
Across ten tracks, Skyler isn’t afraid to bounce between sounds, get a little weird, or turn the guitars all the way up. At the center of it all is a voice that immediately demands attention, backed by plenty of riffs, grooves, and unexpected turns.
So, does Unpopular actually deserve its name? We went through the album track by track to find out. Let’s get into it.
The opening track on Jovi Skyler’s album Unpopular is titled “Dead Rockstars,” and it comes swinging right out of the gate. It’s a hard-hitting introduction packed with grungy guitars that shift between thick, dirty riffs and melodic flashes. Skyler’s voice is the real standout, landing somewhere between Eddie Vedder’s deep, weathered delivery and Chris Cornell's raw power. That’s some pretty serious company, but Skyler has the pipes to make the comparison work. “Dead Rockstars” is a loud, gritty start to Unpopular and a clear warning that this album isn’t taking it easy.
“Hermit” slows things down and takes a much more calculated approach. Once again, Skyler’s voice is one of the song’s strongest elements, carrying the track with a commanding presence even as the instrumentation pulls back. The chorus is the real hook, with “You are a hermit in a dream world” sticking around long after the song ends. It’s catchy on the surface, but something introspective underneath makes you stop and think about isolation and the little worlds we build around ourselves. “Hermit” has all the makings of a repeat listen, proving Skyler doesn’t need to crank everything to eleven to make an impact.
The third track, “Outcast,” kicks off with a guitar riff with serious punk-rock bite, and it doesn’t waste time. What really makes the song interesting, though, is the way it completely changes character when the chorus hits. The track suddenly feels like it lifts off, jumping into a brighter, almost happier place that stands in sharp contrast to the grittier verses. On paper, the two sides shouldn’t necessarily fit together, but somehow they do. That push and pull gives “Outcast” its personality and makes the chorus hit that much harder when it comes around.
“Breakdown” has some seriously cool sounds, leaning heavily into a grunge aesthetic that feels like it could have come from an experimental Seattle band in the early ’90s. The drum mix is especially strong here, with the kit sitting perfectly in the pocket and giving the track a loose but incredibly satisfying groove. As the song moves forward, everything settles into place, with the guitars, drums, and vocals slowly locking together until “Breakdown” fully reveals what it’s trying to be. It’s a track that gets better as it goes, finding its groove and becoming more interesting with every passing minute.
“Lazy Daze” comes in hot with a surf-rock vibe that feels especially at home in today's Los Angeles scene. The track is ridiculously fun, with plenty of bounce and just enough grit to keep things from getting too sunny. Skyler pushes his voice to the edge without asking more of it than it can give, adding a rawness that fits the song perfectly. Despite the title, this one isn't lazy. “Lazy Daze” feels built for a sweaty room and a moving crowd. Consider this your warning: when this thing comes on, be ready to mosh.
“Edie Sedgwick” is named after the American actress, model, socialite, and legendary Warhol superstar who became one of the defining faces of the ’60s counterculture. She’s also the inspiration behind one of Jovi Skyler’s stranger, more interesting tracks. The song moves in unexpected directions, but that feels intentional, especially once Skyler casts Sedgwick as Alice in Wonderland, navigating the surreal, disorienting world around her.
The reference also hides a clever historical Easter egg. Sedgwick famously wanted to make an Alice in Wonderland film herself, adding another layer to Skyler’s metaphor beyond the song’s psychedelic imagery. The strange twists and turns suddenly feel less random and more like a reflection of Sedgwick’s own world, making “Edie Sedgwick” one of the album’s more thoughtful detours.
The seventh track, “Anarchy in the Cellophane,” sounds like a lost ’90s alt-rock banger, complete with killer vocals, dirty guitar tones, and riffs that deserve to be played way too loud. A grimy Seattle feel runs through the whole thing, as if we’ve been dropped into a smoky 1993 club with a cheap beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Probably terrible for our lungs, but great for our ears. We’re completely fine with that.
“Shame” brings things down a notch, settling into a calmer, more reflective mood filled with a real longing. It feels like Skyler is missing someone, and while the lyrics never say it outright, the music says plenty for him. A sadness tucked into the instrumentation hangs over the track, giving “Shame” emotional weight without ever spelling everything out. Sometimes what isn’t said hits the hardest.
The second-to-last track, “Get Around,” carries some of the same tones and textures we’ve already heard throughout the album. It certainly has its own identity, but by this point, parts of it feel too familiar, and the song struggles to hold our attention the way some earlier tracks do. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with “Get Around,” and it’s still a solid song on its own. But in the context of the full album, it feels like one track Unpopular probably could have lived without.
“Night Time Is My Time” closes out Unpopular by pulling out all the stops. Skyler’s vocals roar through the mix, the drums pound, and the guitar riffs are ridiculously catchy. The track runs on a burst of energy, like Skyler saved a little extra fuel for the finish line. After all the twists and turns that came before it, “Night Time Is My Time” sends Unpopular out exactly how it should: loud, confident, and with the amps turned all the way up.
Taken as a whole, Unpopular feels like Jovi Skyler digging through the sounds that shaped him and figuring out exactly what he wants to do with them. Plenty of ’90s grunge and alternative rock runs through its DNA, but flashes of punk, surf rock, and psychedelia keep the album from staying in one lane for too long. Not every experiment lands with the same impact, but when Skyler hits, he hits hard.
His voice is therecord's biggest constant. Whether he’s pushing into heavier moments, pulling back into something more introspective, or getting a little weird, Skyler’s presence keeps you listening. Add in some seriously good guitar work and a rhythm section that knows when to groove and when to let loose, and you've got a lot to dig into.
Calling an album Unpopular is tempting fate, but we think Jovi Skyler won’t have to worry much about living up to the name.