Release Radar: J Mascis 'What Do We Do Now'

On his fifth solo record, J Mascis sounds older, wiser, and better than ever.

Good Morning!

Today we’re listening to ‘What Do We Do Now’ by J Mascis

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In the fall of 2017, I faced a small crisis. 

My wife and I were at Riot Fest. Our goal was twofold- to celebrate our anniversary and cross off some bucket list bands that either one (or both) of us had yet to see. For the first 2 and a half days, the scheduling gods smiled upon us, and there wasn't a single conflict. Now, they seemed to be making up for lost time. We saw Mighty Mighty Bosstones (not a bucket list band or the first time, but always a good time), and then Built To Spill (definitely a bucket lister for me), and then took a break to eat. 

Dinosaur Jr., TV on the Radio, and Best Coast all had overlapping sets. It was a 3-way tie for bands I’d waited a long time to see. Great. We decided who to see using the most objective way we could; TV on the Radio and Dinosaur Jr.’s stages were the closest to each other. Proximity won. Sorry, Bethany. Maybe next time.

After seeing a few songs, we left TVOTR and proceeded to watch J Mascis and Co. tear through an absolutely blistering set. Playing outside doesn’t always lend itself to the sort of nuance their songs have, but big amps sure do. The band played their 1987 LP You’re Living All Over Me –a record largely regarded as one of the best indie records of the era- in its entirety, bookended with whatever counts as their version of greatest hits.

We’d made the right choice. 

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Dinosaur Jr had a run of 12 records, each of them laden with their signature combo of blast furnace guitars and Mascis’ voice. Younger me loved the volume. Older me appreciates the talent Masics brings to the guitar and his songwriting. Listening to records like Where You Been while racing through traffic to shows, I don't think any of us would’ve thought he’d still be around 30ish years later, let alone have multiple solo records, a handful of side projects to his name, and a fistful of accolades. 

But here is his, and sounding better than ever. 

Mascis played almost everything on the record but brought in Ken Mauri (piano) and Matthew “Doc” Dunn (steel guitar). Adding a few elements levels the record up and makes it feel more like a ‘full band’ than it might actually be. 

From Mascis on Bandcamp:

“Ken is great, and he plays all the keys. I tried playing some keyboards on the first Fog album, but I'm really only comfortable playing the white notes, so it's kind of limiting. Nowadays, I could just turn the pitch on a mini Mellotron to play different sounds, but black keys just seem hard. For whatever reason, I just like banging on the white ones. Seems like it's harder to figure out how to stretch your fingers around the other ones.”

With Mascis, there are a few absolutes, but there is also enough unpredictability to keep things interesting. What Do We Do Now is no exception.  The record is server decibels lower than Dinosaur Jrs’ usual milieu. Listening to the record, it's hard not to notice the acoustic guitar and softer tones. Once you do you can’t unhear ‘em.

That's not to say that Mascis has gone soft- far from it- like most of us, he's just a little older and a little wiser. Maybe a little more world-weary too. 

The opener, “Can’t Believe We’re Here,” kicks things off with a bit of wistful/joyful piano, thanks to Mauri. It's a track with nostalgia from every note—and it’s a rollicking good time. Lamenting about the state of the world has never been so fun. 

Dunn gets his time to shine a few tracks later with the steel guitar-laden ‘You Don’t Understand Me.’

The back half of the record is just as strong, highlighted by (this writer’s favorite) ‘Set Me Down.’ 

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One of the knocks against Mascis is that his songs can feel formulaic. I once heard a podcaster quip that every Fleetwood Mac song ends with a Lindsey Buckingham solo, and sometimes I’m convinced Mascis heard the same episode.

That’s a fair point, though I’d counter that if something ain't broke, don’t fix it. On this record, the familiar parts are here and lead to a couple of tracks in the middle that aren’t quite where they could be, but the keys and other elements give the record a softer sound and easier listening. It feels like new ground rather than tracing a pattern–doubly so when Mascis’ lyrics index more heavily toward the tender.

It also feels like a record Macis could easily take on the road by himself if he wanted to. Fans of Mascis’ solo work will likely love this, while Dinosaur Jr. fans will likely wish there was a harder edge to it all.

Which, okay, but we’re a long way from the 150 mph days of “On The Way.” Sonically, he made the right choices here. 

So what do we do now? Beats me, but you can’t go wrong listening to this one. 

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Listen:

J Mascis | What Do We Do Now, 2024

Click the record to listen on the platform of your choice.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this record!

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Thanks for being here,

Kevin—