Sweetness?: Booze Radly Covers Jimmy Eat World

Booze Radly brings a heavier tone to Jimmy Eat World’s beloved classic.

I would venture to guess that most people who read my Medium reviews have heard “Sweetness” from Jimmy Eat World’s senior album, Bleed American. “Sweetness” is a much loved and oft-covered song, which is what makes it particularly challenging to tackle. Bands are caught between two choices, do they stick with the source material and stay true to the original, or do they deviate completely? I think Booze Radly takes a solid path in leaning towards the former choice. Their cover of “Sweetness” is familiar but still exciting. They opt for heavier guitars and slightly offbeat rhythmic elements to add their own flavor to the cover.

Booze Radly opens with a strident vocal and tasty stacks of thick dissonant guitar. They keep the same energy and tempo of the original, but they play more loosely. There are moments that rush or drag the tempo, and it reminds me of going to a show (remember those?) and seeing a band get so into a song that nothing else mattered. The strongest thing about this cover is that it sounds like the whole band is having a ton of fun (which is highlighted by the big beer belch at the end of the song).

Booze Radly’s cover is a part of a larger 90s cover compilation coming out via Lonely Ghost Records on April 15th, 2021.

You can listen to Booze Radly here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ldRK0HTpHWzHuAk3apxFK?si=Zfbu5YHEST639-yn7XFoMQ&nd=1