Heyo! Happy Wednesday! Today is my 27th birthday so I figured why not write about my favorite EP of 2023?
If you know me or you've followed this blog for a minute, you understand I am a Jonas Brothers fan. And with my almost eighteen years of loving them, I have also loved their family. Including the youngest brother, Franklin Jonas. I was actually keeping up with his TikTok more than his brothers' before the Jonas brainrot hit last August. As stated in my previous Jonas Brothers post, I have a soft spot in my heart for Franklin.
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| Sewer Rat cover art and promo shot |
Today's subject is the debut EP from Franklin Jonas titled, Sewer Rat. To be fully honest, I didn't listen to the EP when it dropped because I had NO IDEA - I didn't even listen to The Album until MONTHS after it dropped. I didn't listen to Sewer Rat until September and I have been obsessed with it ever since.
Friendly reminder I am not an expert in music. I am not a music critic. I am just someone who enjoys listening to music and listens to a lot of it.
I can confidently say Sewer Rat is my favorite thing released by the Jonas family as of the writing and publishing of this blog post. Franklin is in the running to potentially become my favorite solo artist as long as he keeps releasing music because he is incredible. He will definitely be getting his own Fangirl Friday post at some point.
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| Sewer Rat onstage at a show |
Firstly, as someone who self-identifies as a trash rat, Franklin, titling his debut EP, Sewer Rat and creating the character that is Sewer Rat, resonates with me. As usual I'll link the Spotify link of each song in the titles and if there is a music video, I'll include it too.
I do mention the Zach Sang Show interview Franklin did quite a bit. I don't usually watch interviews before writing Kinda Review posts, but I have so much love and admiration for Franklin and this EP I wanted to hear him talk about it before I wrote anything. I am so glad I did. So I highly recommend giving the interview a watch/listen. It is so great and I learned a lot.
So let's talk about the EP!
This is the opening song of the EP. After my first listen I KNEW Franklin was going to end up being a problem - in a good way. This song is great. The lyrics are catchy and do get stuck in my head constantly. I love the children's choir during the chorus. During the Zach Sang Show interview, host Zach Sang described the choir as a "lost voice" which Franklin affirms after telling a story about a time he was going to sing in public as a child, but decided not to in the end. I feel the song's lyrics on a spiritual level as I am in my late twenties trying to hold onto the kid I used to be. Franklin explained that a lot of the song came from be, as he called himself, "a little nepo-baby self". Adding it came from trying to find out where he fit as he was "between two worlds". Which honestly makes me love the song more. The lyric video stars Sewer Rat sitting at a chess table in some random park, writing on some papers. I am obsessed.
The vibes of this song are immaculate. This song is a certified bop and that is the hill I will die on. The music is great. His vocals are so good. I grew up with him in a parasocial sense and I'd never have thought that he'd have that voice and I am here for it. It is a song that makes me dance in my kitchen when I'm making food. Bringing up the Zach Sang Show interview again, because Franklin explains that this song came from when he was doing TikTok, which explains the samples in the song. Also can we talk about the music video? Everyone who worked on it deserves all my love and affection. The way it is put together and edited. Give all the awards. Also the lyric video is iconic. He's getting a tattoo of Sewer Rat while dressed as Sewer Rat while sitting in the subway. We stan an icon.
First of all I need to talk about the lyric video first before we get into the song. They gave us Sewer Rat going through the trash on some random corner in New York City. And at the end he takes his apple core and walks out of frame. I am obsessed with the character that is Sewer Rat and I hope this EP isn't the last we see of him. Now we can talk about the song. The lyrics tell of someone who has found new love, but is still bitter toward their ex-lover. If this song is autobiographical I want to know who broke his heard. I just want to TALK. Though I am grateful that out of heartache, we got this EP. I do appreciate the outro line "lucky stars in your eyes" seems to be a reference to "Cherub", the previous song.
Hands down, this is my favorite song on the EP. I can't tell you why I love this song. I makes me so soft. It's a love song. Franklin said this song is an anthem of his relationship with his girlfriend and you can hear it in the lyrics. This song also has a children's choir for the bridge and it carries on the theme of the choir representing a "lost voice" as they did in "Grow Up", When asked what he is underserving of, as the lyrics "finally I am over understanding why I'm undeserving" state, Franklin listed love, happiness, joy, and peace. Also gotta shout out the lyric video of Sewer Rat handing out flowers to random people. I adore him. I love this song and I specifically love the live version from House of Secrets. It might be my most streamed song on Spotify, at this point. There is something that Franklin shares with his brothers which is their vocals during live performances are so much better than studio recordings. I don't know if it's the rawness of it, or what, but they always sound better live and that's why I will always choose the live versions every time.
This is the final song on the EP, but this is actually the first song from Franklin that I heard because I saw a video on TikTok of him performing live and that's how I found out he had released music. The music video is incredibly shot. The vibe and the aesthetic of this whole EP and all the visuals to go along with it were well made. The lyric video has Sewer Rat in a living room playing N64 on a TV that is just showing static, lounging on the couch, and looking out the window. Once again, I adore this character. But let's discuss the song. The song can be interpreted as a love that is so intoxicating it is compared to being on drugs, more specifically cocaine. The whole theme of the EP has been the good and the bad of being in love. There is a line about actually doing cocaine, but I mean it's in the title of the son so what else were we expecting? Whether it's literal or metaphorical, I am unsure. But it's a song to vibe to. The whole album is a vibe.
In the Zach Sang Show interview, Franklin stated, "I wrote those songs therapeutically. Not intending for them to be heard." I am grateful that he released them because I truly do love this EP and everything else he's released since. Part of the reason I became a fan of his brothers was because I loved how honest and real they always seemed in interviews and through their music. And I am glad to see hs is equally as honest and real through his music. He seems so genuine.
There is something about Franklin that I cannot put into words. The man is so incredibly talented and I will never stop sharing his music with everyone I know. I was already a life-long Franklin Jonas fan, but now I am a ride or die fan. I cannot wait to see what he releases next.
If by some chance Franklin comes across this post: Hi, Franklin. Thank you for blessing us with your music. I am genuinely excited to see what you do next. I am proud of you. That might be weird coming from a complete stranger, but I've been following you and your family for almost eighteen years now. I am so proud of you and I hope you keep it up. I do genuinely love your music.
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