Track Premiere: Wax Jaw’s “Checking Me Out”

Philadelphia indie rock outfit Wax Jaw have wasted very little time sneaking onto people’s radar. Formed earlier this year and announced with a handful of buzzy shows in the Philly area, the self-described “new wave / post-punk / surf rock” act blend those components together with the ambition of the B-52s and the warm hum of Jacuzzi Boys. You can get a sense of that wildness through a raw taping of the band’s April PhilaMOCA show. 

Their debut single, “Checking Me Out,” is a tight fusion of all of those genres of music, harkening back to the kitchen sink punk music X or Johnny Thunders were making in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s—carefree in spirit and almost unintentionally hooky. The immediate bass line lingers in the air like Simon Gallup’s early tone with The Cure before everything collides in on itself, with Shane Morgan’s vocals blending into the hypnotic earworm as the words “checking me out” swirl around over and over. You can get a first listen of the track below!

You can follow Wax Jaw and grab “Checking Me Out” over on Bandcamp!