Interview: Jr. Juggernaut
Mike Williamson Discusses The Band's New Album 'Another Big Explosion'
If you you like big, crunchy guitars and snarling pop songs sung in a honey-coated growl, you should be listening to LA power trio Jr. Juggernaut.
The band’s hard-hitting and hooky new album taps a full-throttle stylistic vein of grunge-meets-alternative pop that many current ‘90s revivalists shy away from emulating. Frontman Mike Williamson says that period-specific authenticity is derived from his unwavering devotion to Hüsker Dü, Dinosaur Jr. and Sugar.
“None of those bands ever popped commercially in the same way some of their peers did back in the day, so this may be why they aren't discussed as often as, say, Pixies or Nirvana, but Hüsker Dü seems to be cited as an influence by basically every alt rock band since the ‘90s who mixes melody with noise,” Williamson told me for the interview below.
“Dinosaur Jr. is more of an odd bird, with their mix of classic rock hooks, airplane engine volume, Neil Young vocal drawl and Big Muff wall of noise. It's harder to peg bands that are both commercially successful and influenced by them. However Dinosaur Jr. is still out there putting out records and touring and in some ways they seem more popular than they've ever been, at least on the live circuit. They've crossed over into the revered godfathers of the scene, and rightly so.”
Jr. Juggernaut took five years to record and release Another Big Explosion, but the results are worth the wait.
Lead single, “Everything I Touch,” features chugging verses and soaring choruses all driven by propulsive guitars. Other standout tracks include opener “Come Break My Heart,” previous standalone single “Million Miles,” and the grungy pop of “Hang On.”
“This album was a long time in the making. Wal (drummer) and I started recording it in late 2019 when we were in between bass players,” Williamson said. “Looking back, I can't believe it took so long, but I'm so stoked to finally get the record out there.”
I caught up with Williamson by email as they prepare for the August 9 release of Another Big Explosion.
Mike Williamson Interview
The new album sounds great! Tell me a little about how it was recorded.
Mike Williamson: We recorded five songs in our rehearsal space at the now defunct Bedrock rehearsal studios in Echo Park (in 2019). The intention was for it to just be demos of new stuff. All of our previous recordings had been in real recording studios, usually tracked to 2-inch tape. This was me and Wal in a small room, recorded to Wal's laptop. But once Wal started mixing, to my surprise, it sounded like a legitimate album. So the idea then was to release it as an EP. Covid struck in early 2020 and delayed the process for us, like it did every band. Eventually, mixing was done on the 5 songs, but by now in 2021 I had a bunch of other songs ready to go. Wal and I tracked 5 more songs with Maria Baglien at her studio, called simply "Studio,” in Redlands.
By late 2021 we had hooked up with Noah Green, who fronts his own band The Pretty Flowers, to play bass with us live for some shows. I'd first met Noah through KROQ's ‘Locals Only’radio show—where DJ Kat Corbett played both Jr. Juggernaut and The Pretty Flowers on the same show—and I thought they were really cool so reached out to him to say hello. By 2022 we were a functioning live band again. Wal continued mixing on and off through 2023 and I deleted some of my bass tracks off the Redlands sessions to have Noah lay down some parts to get him on the record. Finally, in 2024, Another Big Explosion is coming out.
Another Big Explosion reminds me of Hüsker Dü/Sugar/Dinosaur Jr. (in the best possible way). Do you consider those bands influences?
Mike Williamson: Dinosaur Jr. and Bob Mould's bands are certainly my two biggest influences. Where You Been by Dinosaur Jr and Copper Blue by Sugar are two of my favorite records of all time. In fact, our album title Another Big Explosion is a line from the opening track on Copper Blue.
I never had any formal training on guitar so I learned to solo by listening to J Mascis, and Bob Mould's open chord rhythm playing was instantly appealing to my ear and influenced my desire to play big, chiming, full chords. On the new record I experimented with an alternate tuning on 9 of the 10 songs that allowed me to play power chords but have the top strings ring out as well, so I didn't lose the chime-y upper register I like from playing open chords.
I love the first track "Come Break My Heart." I've listened to the album enough that I couldn't imagine another song opening this collection. What's the story behind that track?
Mike Williamson: ‘Come Break My Heart’ always felt like it should be the first song on the album. It has a somewhat cinematic, instrumental opening that seemed like a pleasant way to reel a listener in, before jumping in to big distorted power chords to get your blood pumping, and a hooky chorus. It also mixes the chime-y, high-end guitar I talked previously about with heavier sections of power and noise. It seemed basically like the Jr. Juggernaut mission statement—everything we do all packed into one song. As far as writing of the song, it's basically a love song of the most pathetic variety: begging.
"Everything I Touch.” goes in more of a Gin Blossoms and Replacements direction. Did you take a different approach to writing that one?
Mike Williamson: ‘Everything I Touch’ was written with a capo on the 3rd fret, simply because I was experimenting with how this new alternate tuning I had landed on for the album would work in a higher tonal register. If it hits a more Gin Blossoms vibe for you, it's probably because those high chiming notes I've been talking about are capo'd up and sound more jangly to the ear because they cut through the soundscape easier. As a side note, ‘Hey Jealousy’ is one of my favorite songs from the ‘90s and my go-to karaoke song.
Songs like "After Tonight" and "Hang On" almost feel like lost tracks from the Singles soundtrack. What is your relationship with early '90s grunge bands at this point?
Mike Williamson: I love that you mentioned the Singles soundtrack because in many ways that soundtrack, and the No Alternative compilation, were just as significant for me and my friends in the ‘90s as any other album.
My relationship with early ‘90s grunge bands in 2024 is the same as it was in 1993. They have never left me. I still feel like I'm perpetually in high school. I listen to that music constantly.
At the risk of sounding like an elderly curmudgeon, I feel like the ‘90s was the last gasp of art and commerce working together in the music industry. True art was being pushed as commercial by major labels. Noise was on the radio. Your average teen in middle America was hearing Sonic Youth, Butthole Surfers, Meat Puppets on pop stations. In retrospect, it seems impossible, but it really happened. Underground was king for a brief, fleeting moment and it was beautiful. That will never happen again. It had the most profound effect on me and continues to resonate with me today.
Any plans to tour for the new album?
Mike Williamson: We would love to tour this new record, and I think it deserves it. We're working out our schedules right now to make that happen!
The third volume of our semi-annual music journal features some of today's best music writers and the most talented modern musicians:
Carl Cafarelli on Ramones
Jordan Oakes in Conversation with Paul Collins (The Nerves/The Beat)
Rich Tupica on Big Star's Radio City
Mary E. Donnelly in Conversation with Stina Tweeddale (Honeyblood)
Blue Broderick on The Apples in Stereo
Kevin Alexander on The Yellow Melodies
Dan Epstein on Redd Kross
Jim Ruland on The Last
James Harding on New Zealand Guitar Pop
S.W. Lauden on Weezer
Don’t forget you can get this book and others by our friend S.W. One place to find them is Big Stir Records website. Don’t feed The Monster that is Amazon unless it’s a last resort.