ARTIST: Hobo Johnson
ALBUM: The Revenge of Hobo Johnson
LINKS:
Spotify
YouTube
Apple Music
BACKGROUND:
As he puts it in his breakout single, "Peach Scone", Hobo Johnson is a rapper, but not actually a rapper, he likes to say musician. His music is undeniably unique, there's no one else who quite sounds like him and his backing band, The Lovemakers, and even more polarizing. It's a cliche to say you either love or hate something, but you may be hard pressed to find any fence sitters on the topic of Hobo Johnson, whose fans and haters find themselves nearly equally devoted. His blend of slam poetry, rap, folk, emo, spoken word, rock, and even some jazz has helped him stand out to say the least, for better and for worse.
Now, if you know Hobo Johnson, there's at least a 30% chance you know him as "The Screaming Incel from the Tiny Desk Audition" which, while I might find it a little unfortunate that such a diverse artist gets their style summed up in such a negative way, I get it. A good portion of his material is about unrequited love, girls who left him, and other general stuff that makes Hobo Johnson a lot easier to enjoy as a depressed high school kid and his signature style might be second only to Marshall Mathers himself in terms of how easy it is to make fun of. So, it may come as a bit of a shock that "The Revenge of Hobo Johnson" isn't really about that. Sure, there's two, technically three, songs about a girl/love interest, but the album isn't about that, it's about losing your sense of self, wanting to go outside, whether it be to see the world or just to go to your friend's house, and existential depression due to capitalism. Stylistically, the album leans into a more folk, almost coffee house style, sound, with acoustic guitars aplenty, soft drums, and soft background vocals from the Lovemakers, as well as recurring interruptions from Hobo's dog, Fish, do to this being recorded at home during the pandemic. Now, without further ado, let us dive into the wonderful world of Covid-era depression.
REVIEW:
Track 1: Anton LaVey
The opening lyric of the album sets the stage pretty well: "I'm closing my eyes and I'm glad that I'm dead." The album opens with the folk rock homage to Satan, "Anton LaVey" named after the founder of Satanism. The song is one of those three love interest songs I mentioned from earlier and follows a simple narrative: Hobo is dead, in hell, and horny for Satan. The fallen angel welcomes him back to his apartment and they fuck. There's more to it, so let's dive in.
The song starts with some guitar strumming before jumping into the chorus, which in all it's four bar glory, contains some of the best lyrics of the whole album. There's the previously stated opener about being glad he's dead, but that's followed in quick succession by "This heaven is weird because my Jesus is red. I hope that he sees me, I yearn for his touch. Darling, I need you. Satan, my love." The chorus is highlighted by the Lovemakers joining in for the ending lyrics for every bar and they serve a similar purpose on the verses, though they're just responding to each lyric, as opposed to doing any repeating. Speaking of the verses, that's where the relationship between our leads is developed. It starts small with Hobo hoping that Satan sees him while he's out in the crowd before they lock eyes and head back to the chorus. During the second verse, Satan approaches Hobo and says "Hello" and in response, Hobo sticks his tongue down his throat. Soon after, the pair are back at Satan's house "for a while", at least long enough for the chorus to play once more. The next verse, called a bridge on Genius for some reason even though it's clearly a verse, is about the pair fucking, eating halal afterwards, and then making out until it irritates Hobo's extremely sensitive lips. We then go into the chorus once more before the outro, consisting of the first two lines of the chorus, delivered with noticeable doubt, as if Hobo regrets his actions from the song.
This song's great, in my opinion. It's funny, Hobo's sing-talk delivery perfectly fits the vibe of the track, and the ad-libs, if that's what you could call the Lovemakers' vocal additions, really add to my enjoyment of the track. There's also a few different ways to interpret the track, whether that be it as a straightforward story song about fucking Satan, Hobo himself being Satan in this scenario and all the self hatred that implies, and the music industry being Satan and not so subtly "fucking" Hobo. I personally listen with the second interpretation, but it'll change from person to person and there's likely other ways to interpret it that I didn't even include, so y'know, listen with that in mind, too.
Favorite Lyrics:
Closing my eyes, glad that I'm dead. This heaven is weird, my Jesus is red.
We kissed so much that it starts to irritate my lips. Turns out I got extremely sensitive lips. I'm an extremely sensitive man.
Track 2: I want to see the World
This is a weird song. Well, not a weird song, but there's a really weird lyric and we'll get to that. Basically, this song is about exactly what the title says, Hobo wants to see the world and in a Covid hellscape, it's an even more relatable desire than it would be otherwise. So, how does Hobo go about it?
Well, the first verse is the most normal of the bunch, he talks about going to France to take in their culture and enjoy their soda, going to Japan because he likes fish, and going to Germany again because the last time he was there, he just ate Indian food instead of enjoying the local cuisine. The second verse starts with Hobo stating his aspirations to go to Normandy and Belgium to pay his respects and to learn more about World War 2 before going off to Manhattan, specifically to observe Ground Zero and salute all who died on 9/11. Then he says he wants to go to Memphis because "that's where MLK got killed and it doesn't make sense to me still" which is a little weird, I mean his heart's obviously in the right place, but it's just kinda funny to be honest. The next two verses focuses on countries that are victims of colonization, invasion, occupation, blockades, and fascist regimes such as Samoa, Honduras, Guatemala, Rwanda, Vietnam, and Cuba, as well as wanting to visit Auschwitz in an attempt to understand how a loving God could allow something like that to happen and the continent of Africa to try and preserve the memory of the Scramble for Africa, a mad dash by European countries to colonize as much of the continent as they could following the 1884 Berlin Conference. Oh, by the way, remember when I said the song was about wanting to see the world? Well, I apologize for kinda, sorta, somewhat lying. It's about how the world is fucking awful and it sucks to learn that, but ultimately, it's important to learn about the worst of history because it lets us become better and to learn from the mistakes of the past.
Sorry for the afterschool special there. Anyway, it's an okay track, definitely not the best, but I still think there's some enjoyment to be found here. Is the enjoyment ironic? A little bit. Hobo, again, has his heart in the right place, but it's hard to properly translate it to a really good song.
Favorite Lyrics:
And fuck, boy, I really like their sodas.
But I want to see the world, the world, but I want the whole story and if it makes me cringe, and gasp, and gag then I guess that that's good for me.
That's where MLK got killed and it doesn't make sense to me still
Track 3: I want you Back
This song is the first of two songs on this project that I think are best described as more mature versions of the quintessential Hobo Johnson aka "songs about girls/relationships" and I think it's great and it leads to two of the best songs on the album.
This song is very simple on the surface, it's about Hobo wanting a girl back, but it's also very easy to interpret the "you" that he wants back as being his life before fame. This is best exemplified by the second verse where he states, "I made a million bucks and I had to spend it all on therapy." It's a powerful sentiment. Or maybe I'm just depressed. Fair play either way. The only real negative I have for this song is the "phone bad" bridge at the end, but even that is more about privacy issues and advertisements than just the usual thing you'd expect. The song finishes out with the "I think we're/I'm fucked" refrain that's been repeated throughout the song, signifying the fruitless efforts for Hobo to get his girl back and get his old life back as well as the fact that the human race as whole is likely not going to be doing great in the coming decades with climate change, growing unrest, superweapons, and the growing power of tech giants to track your personal data and provide it to people or governments, a veritable who's who of bad shit.
As I gave away earlier, this is a stand out track for me. Hobo's far from Whitney Houston as a singer, but the emotion in his voice, particularly on this track, really sells you on both the playful nature of the first verse and the hopelessness of the verses that follow. Overall, just a great track in my opinion.
Favorite Lyrics:
I want a slap, that would make me quite upset, but if my brain came out my ear then I guess that's what I'd get. I need a nap.
Spit on me again, that's impressive 'bout eight feet apart
I made a million bucks, but then I had to spend it all on therapy.
I think I'm fucked
I think we're fucked
Track 4: My therapist
The next song is essentially Hobo rambling about some ideas he's told his therapist. There's not a lot to say here.
Hobo starts by talking about how his therapist thinks his ideas are great, but Hobo's convinced it's only because he's paid to listen to them. These ideas are about equity and wealth (aka owning a pizza shop and selling it to the workers so that they're their own boss), hope and soap (aka selling soap at low prices and donating the profits to better the community), and voting and the future (aka talking about Chile's plan and design for in-home voting prior to the US staging a coup in 1973 and how we should implement the system.)
This song's pacing sucks, like, there's a lot to dislike about it, but that's the part that just drives me mad and it feels like Hobo just never gets to the fucking point. The opening line regarding his distrust of his therapist is the best part and if the song was about that as opposed to his ideas, it'd probably be a lot better, but here we are. There's a comment on Genius that reads, "this song makes me want to become a capitalist" and I get it, I really do.
Favorite Lyrics:
My therapist thinks my ideas are great. I think it's because he gets paid.
This isn't a lyric, but shoutout to Genius user @fffffffffffff for the comment because it's probably my favorite part about the song.
Track 5: Jordans house
Oh fuck, it's the other song I don't like. Fuck it speed round.
Hobo wants to go Jordan's house. He thinks his own house is getting broken into, so he breaks traffic laws to get to Jordan's house. Jordan is shocked because they hadn't discussed this at all. Hobo tells him what's happened, but Jordan doesn't really care, so Hobo leaves.
This song is only ranked higher than "My therapist" because a song about wanting to go to your friend's house hits hard during Covid. Also, the last verse is pretty good. Otherwise, the pacing still sucks and I overall don't like it.
Favorite Lyrics:
I decide to just give him the gist and he looks kinda bored as I'm fucking nailing it and I start to think, maybe it's time to leave Jordan's house. I say, "Jordan, can't you see what all these implications mean? Jordan, God is dead but I'm alive" at Jordan's house
Yeah, I just put the whole third verse in favorite lyrics, what are you gonna do about it? You think I care about including another non-lyric in favorite lyrics? I'm one of 15 people who like this album, you think I care about what others think? Well, I do! But I'm gonna leave this in anyway.
Track 6: Prelude to Animal Farm
Hobo further proves that he's not the best leftist by holding up an Orwell novel as an example of the ideology. The song's pretty alright though. This song is what the title implies, a prelude to Animal Farm. What does that entail? Probably a pig or something, let's find out.
So, it starts with a pig being born (boom, nailed the prediction) and follows his life in the same capitalism/farm allegory from the novel. He learns about work, how life sucks, and before he can change anything, he dies. However, as he does, he hears a pig being born outside and is able to die, knowing his dream may live on.
Similar to the last two songs, this has a pacing issue, but I think the vibes and the overall catchiness, to me anyway, of the background singing adds to the enjoyment of the track. It was a song that I really wasn't feeling during my first listen of the album, but as the months have gone on, I've found myself enjoying this song more and more everytime I hear it.
Favorite Lyrics:
And as he got older, they taught him to never really worry about the problems and the deplorable phrase, "That's just life"
No life is perfect nor just, but something better out there is a must 'cause this shit's fucked.
Track 7: You want a baby
Hey, it's the other "Grown Up Quintessential Hobo Johnson Song" I talked about earlier, nice! This song is sad though, like actually, it makes me sad, but in a good way.
So, it starts with Hobo pondering the point of having kids in our current world and wondering if it's fair to bring a human person into this world just so he feels something and has a meaning, especially when Hobo's severe depression would likely pass down to his children. He knows his girlfriend wants kids, but he can't bring himself to do such a thing and he struggles with the thought of making his girlfriend cry because of that. He then does the same thing for marriage, a concept Hobo is very familiar with the negative aspects of given that his parents separated. This verse can tie back into the previous as a great deal of married couples separated, leaving the children without a structured homelife. He ends the song with the thought that marriage is just too hard for him to make work currently and possibly ever.
This is not only my favorite song on the album, but one of my favorites of the whole year by any artist. The song is just crushing, the subtext of self hatred for being unable to provide and be happy with what his girlfriend wants is great as well as Hobo knows this is incredibly selfish and could likely ruin the relationship, but he feels that being honest about his feelings is better than trying to add something to the relationship that he doesn't feel ready for at all and that could make him resent his partner. Furthermore, for longtime fans, this song will likely hit even harder as Hobo has a history of pining for marriage and kids in his older songs about love, but now that he himself is older, the wishful thinking of having his own kids feels scary, especially in a world that he isn't entirely sure of. It ties into the "I think we're fucked" motif of "I want you back" and it makes for one of the sadder songs all year. If you only listen to one track from this album, make it this one.
Favorite Lyrics:
My genes make me struggle, why would I pass that off to you?
I don't mean to make you cry, but I think that I might have to make you one day.
What's the point of getting married in a time like this? If we do, I think we're doomed!
As soon as it's a given and someone gives up and I'd rather not fix what's not fucked up and I like it here. I think I like it here.
Track 8: You need help
Following next is probably the most accessible track on the album. "You need help" is an upbeat track about depression and if feeling like you want to die is really any worse than taking antidepressants and feeling unlike yourself.
The first verse focuses on the common belief that pain leads to great art and Hobo wondering why his depression doesn't make his own art feel personally fulfilling. He then asks if he needs to take antidepressants, which stop him from wanting to die, but also make him lose his sense of self. The chorus is one of the highlights of the album, commenting on how both depression and the chemicals used to "cure" it feel like a life sentence. The second verse puts the listener in the position of a depressed person who can't enjoy a nice day by the lake without wanting to go home, can't work up the motivation to get out of bed, really desperately wants to cry, but can't and is now stuck with that feeling of sadness for the whole day and probably most infamously, is driving and suddenly feels the urge to veer off road and crash into a tree.
I love this song and as stated, it's probably the most popular and accessible song on the whole album with even ardent critics of the album generally enjoying it's upbeat, punk pop-esque instrumental and the legitimately funny lyrics. It's honestly a great time, especially if you're a fellow depressive because it's nice to have an upbeat song you can relate to. I know I recommended the last track, but if you don't want something sad, this is the one track you should definitely listen. It's pretty fun.
Favorite Lyrics:
If this depression doesn't kill me, can it at least make art feel fulfilling? Fuck.
Chemicals or depression? Both really feel like a life sentence.
Yeah, it's like driving your car down the street, you see some tree and some bark and in your mind, you think, "Man! What if?"
Track 9: Song 9 (The Government's Not Great)
This song essentially acts as an overture for the album, referencing other songs on the album like the opener "Anton LaVey", "I want to see the world", "I want you back", and my favorite songs "My therapist" and "Jordans House". It's a trainwreck, but I think in an enjoyable way.
This song mostly focuses on Hobo coming to grips with the fact that he can't solve the world's problems, and likely no one can, that billions and billions of people are probably in a hypothetical hell because of the decisions of their government to go to war, that people don't change their mind because of theoretical arguments, so why should he even try, and that he should rip out the eyes of Twenty One Pilots and 1975 because they're competitors in his market and that would give him an edge commercially.
This song is bad, probably really bad, but I kinda love it. Definitely not a favorite, but man, he's just in the studio having a mental breakdown and it's entertaining. Along with that, the production on this song is probably my favorite of the whole album and the lyrics are pretty enjoyable here. Is the screaming annoying? Yeah, it very much is, but fuck it, it kinda adds to the humor of the song, so I'm almost willing to give it a pass. Not entirely, but somewhat.
Favorite Lyrics:
Ey yo, give me an insurmountable problem and I'll show you real fast, baby, I can't solve them.
Is it wrong to see the world with my imperialist privilege and twinkle in my eye?
Hell is a never-ending pit of great despair? And if you kill, then you go there? What?! What about the wars? And the Crusades? Our government bombing another place? And all those pilots who made them die? Are they drowning in a burning lake of fire?
Find your competitors and rip out their eyes. Twenty One Pilots, 1975, can I open for you guys? And then I'm gonna rip out your eyes!
Every time I read the news, they surely twist the stories. At least they used to (And that's a fact)
Track 10: Outro
This is a musical shitpost and I love it. I appreciate that "Hobo Johnson Alienates His Fanbase" is a real thing, even if a full project being a shitpost is a bit much, I can appreciate the commitment to a bit. Everyone who hates this outro is 100% right in doing so, but man, it just makes me smile.
CONCLUSION:
So, that's "The Revenge of Hobo Johnson". Considered by many, including the internet's busiest music nerd, Anthony Fantano, to be one of the worst albums of the year and here I am, writing around 4000 or so words about why I think it's one of the best. Alright, so let me state that there were numerous times throughout writing this that I considered pulling out of the write ups because of how hated this album is and I kinda wanted to avoid the backlash of having my name, or at least my Reddit username, attached to calling such a hated album good, great even, but here I am, giving my concluding thoughts, so I obviously went through with it. Is this the best album of the year? No shot. "DISCO!" by MIKE, "Sometimes I Might Be Introvert" by Little Simz, "King's Disease 2" by Nas, and probably a lot of other projects kinda wash this one in terms of quality, but to be completely honest, I don't think I could write 4000 words about any of those albums. With the exception of maybe "Tempus" by Issa Gold of the Underachievers, no album this year has connected with me emotionally the way this one did. It felt like it embodied the spirit of how this pandemic felt, similar to how "Anime, Trauma, and Divorce" by Open Mike Eagle did for me last year. Are the vocals bad? Yeah. Is the production mostly kinda shitty? Most definitely. Are the politics extremely ham fisted into this album? You're damn right they are, but for some reason, this bad, awful, terrible album has four of my favorite songs of the year on it and while it may have some songs I dislike, the emotional feeling I get from those songs I love completely overshadows those songs I don't like. Since this album came out over the summer, there's not an album I've listened to more and I think we can all agree that replayability is a great value for any album to have. So, yeah, I'm probably the only person who thinks so, but all that and then some is why I considered "The Revenge of Hobo Johnson" to be one of the best albums of 2021.
QUESTIONS:
Will Hobo's career be able to recover from the negative backlash to this album?
If you're one of the seven people who also enjoyed this album, what was your favorite track and why?
A lot of people who enjoyed one, or both, of Hobo's previous albums generally disliked this one If you fall into that category, what do you think this album was missing?
What direction would you like to see Hobo take on his music moving forward?
