Review: “Dear Joe” Album by Jax
Written by: Erica Remboske
On June 28, 2024, Jax released a new album featuring 20 songs. Some tracks are humorous and light-hearted, serving as marketing pieces, but the majority delve into deeper, more meaningful themes.
Jax, whose real name is Jaclyn Cole Miskanic, is a 28-year-old singer and songwriter from New York who relocated to New Jersey. She gained fame on TikTok, where she wrote humorous songs with Chelsea and other stars.
The album kicks off with the song titled "Jelly Beans (The Purge)." The song is about not being able to trust someone, just like how Jax cannot trust the flavors of jelly beans. It seems to be more of a betrayal from one of her friends since she sings about one of her friends talking bad about her. The beat of the song is definitely a hype song with a deep beat behind it.
The next "song" on the album is "Hawk Tah (Interlude)." This one is one of the marketing pieces as Jax titles the song over a very popular video. She sings about gaining the attention of the listeners to listen to her album. It brings attention to the album since it is based on a viral, and more of an inappropriate, video on social media.
"How Dare You" is about one of Jax’s exes meeting someone else after only four months of telling their parents that she is “the one.” The song is about none of it making sense to her. She feels as though her ex loves the new girl even more than they loved her. She is hurt whereas her ex is happy with someone else who may look like, or act like, herself. Anyone would be deeply upset about this. By the end of the song, she starts to compare herself to the new girl. The tone of the song and the beat behind it make the lyrics flow so smoothly.
The next piece of the album, "The Clap (Interlude)," is another shorter song about Jax’s ex cheating on her with another girl. It is based on the children’s nursery rhyme "If You’re Happy and You Know It" but with a completely different turn to it. This is another one of her marketing pieces as she sings about how after her ex cheated on her she found out that they ended up getting well… an infection.
"I Choose Violence" is a slower song, with a heavy and dark beat, about a guy taking Jax’s innocence away from her, and maybe a few other girls. She ended up realizing she should not keep quiet and take his innocence away by singing about the wrongs he did to her. The guy was older than her, which was hinted at as she stated in the song, “But when you were thirteen she wasn’t alive.” He was not even near Jax’s age. He kept on stating that she is actually mature for her age when she was needing a fake ID and she was half his age.
"Barbara, Your Husband Is Gay (Interlude)" is another marketing piece. It is about a wife being on her laptop so much and not being able to see what is going on right in front of her face. Her husband has not even been home for days, and he took the kids with him. Barbara is essentially the new Karen as she comments hate on people’s Facebook posts.
"Zombieland" features HARDY, a country and rock artist. The song is about an apocalypse, which all of their exes and everyone who did them wrong will not make it and a lot of society will not be able to survive. Jax and HARDY would not help them out even if they were begging on their doors. She even added in the alarm from the movie The Purge (2013) into the song at times.
"Neurospicy (Interlude)" is a slower piece about how Jax could be neurodivergent, based on what her doctor had told her. Her husband loves her the way that she is.
"The New Girl Is a Snake" opens up with the audio from the clip of the girl on an airplane claiming that someone is not real, just slowed down a little bit. This would automatically grab the listener’s attention. The song has a little bit of a country-pop vibe to it. The song is about Jax getting off vibes from the new girl and she cannot be trusted. Nobody will listen to her but she knows the new girl is acting fake towards everyone. The ending of the song has another few seconds of the ending of the same clip with the girl in the airplane. It is a catchy song with a catchy beat.
"Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself (Interlude)" is another one of Jax’s marketing pieces. The topic of Epstein has been popular for some time and has been talked about for a while now. During the short piece, Jax sings about daily reminders within the day for mental health and adds on that he did not kill himself at the end.
"Superbad" is one of the songs that a lot of girls may be able to relate to. Jax sings about her best friend being with a guy that is not a good person and would end up breaking her heart. She does not know how to tell her best friend about him because she knows it will hurt her. The song is out of protection for her best friend. The song is slow and relatable.
"Holiday" is about how Jax’s life got better once she met the love of her life. She sings about the holidays, bringing in reasons why they compare to her life at the moment. For example, she sings “it’s Thanksgiving when you’re giving me kisses.” The song is a slower love song.
"Adam Sandler (Interlude)" is a song Jax wrote about someone she looks up to, Adam Sandler. When she joined Hollywood she was lost and constantly asked herself questions about what Sandler would do and what Sandler would wear. He is a big guy in Hollywood and is a calm guy who will walk around with the most normal attitude and clothing. According to Jax, trusting Sandler would be the right decision to make when you are unsure.
"Like My Father" is a song that Jax wrote about her parents’ relationship and how her standards are raised because of it. She wants her relationship to be like her parents’ as they have a normal relationship and fix things when things get harder. It is a general rule of thumb that if the father loves the mother, the daughter will grow up to have the same standards. Her parents will love each other no matter what happens, and this is the kind of relationship that she wants.
"Too Young to Be Old" is a song Jax wrote for her dad after she got married. Her dad is slowly losing his mind as she gets older and she constantly has to tell him the same thing over and over again. She knows that he is aging and she knows how much he has helped her. Jax knows that she will end up having to help him through the hardships. She is completely scared of losing him and being without her father.
"Pour One Out for Me (Interlude)" is one of the songs that is not as serious as she sings about how those around her should party once she passes away and is buried.
"Stupid Cupid" is about Cupid finding love for Jax. She ended up falling too hard for them to where it actually hurts her.
"The Babysitter Song (Interlude)" is from Jax’s more popular videos on TikTok when Jax was still gaining her fame. Chelsea is the girl that babysat and instantly grew a connection with her. The clip that was used for the interlude was a transition into the next song, which is a song written for Chelsea.
Jax wrote "A Song for Chelsea" for the girl that grew up with her. This is a slow song about how much and how fast Chelsea is growing. There is so much in life that she should not be looking forward to as she grows older, such as the predators. This song was written as a warning for Chelsea to be careful and how hard life really is.
"Victoria’s Secret" is a song that is written for girls who look up to beauty standards. There is no such thing as to what a girl’s body should look like. Being yourself is the best beauty standard there is. The company, Victoria’s Secret, was actually made up by a guy and should not be used as something little girls should look up to.
Overall, Jax’s album, Dear Joe, is a perfect pop album for those of the younger generations. The songs are relatable for those going through heartbreak and other life issues. The songs are catchy, and for the most part, upbeat while the lyrics are heavier and have a deeper meaning.
