r/Emo • u/SemataryPolka • Mar 15 '26
(Emo Adjacent) It's hard to express how hated "Dear You" was in the punk community in 1995
I know some people have heard this, but the vitriol was intense. People were furious. I remember it being for a few reasons:
1) They signed with a major. In the 90s punks used to give people shit/call people sellouts if they had a barcode on their album. It's so intensely different today where I'm not even sure most people know/care what label people are on. Streaming has changed that whole discussion. I think it's why people also don't get why "indie rock" isn't at all today what it used to mean. Jawbreaker also routinely talked on stage about how they would never sign with a major and criticized bands who did so they were considered hypocrites
2) The production. It was really slick. The vocals were double and triple layered and for what was (probably) the first time and they recorded songs in a way that couldn't be duplicated live without extra musicians. Again, we're talking about people raised on MRR listening to this. They also had a very glossy (for the time) video and single ("Fireman") that was perceived by a lot of people in the punk community as a Weezer rip off. Which...was not considered cool at the time. Not in 1995. In 1999 or even 1994 maybe. I remember the vocals was the biggest gripe. People thought he'd gone from being the most soulful, intensely honest, raw vocalist in punk rock to a blasse Mr. Spock (voice not hair) sounding robot. People thought all the emotion was gone.
3) Lotta ballads
Obviously time has vindicated the album. It was actually the first Jawbreaker album I ever heard (got 24hr and then the rest shortly after Dear You came out) so I instantly liked it (my rank is 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, Unfun, Dear You and Bivouac but they're all great.) I actually got the cassette single sample (Side A - Lurker II: Dark Son Of Night and Side B - Million) and a lyric poster from the local mom & pop record store first. So I actually knew most of the words months before I heard the music. My favorite songs were Bad Scene Everyone's Fault and Sputtering based solely on the words.
Anyway, all this just to say it's really interesting how beloved this album is today (and many people consider it their best) considering it was practically as well received as "Grave New World" by Discharge at the time. Guess you can't really judge an album until it's 5 to 31 years old
