Recently released single “It Just Hits You” from appealingly named Brooklyn rockers Journalism recently made the Spotify’s Garage Jams and Fresh Finds Six Strings playlists. Structured around an open chord arpeggio over throbbing bass and driving drum beat, the song is an honest rumination on sobriety. “Here I stand without a drink in hand,” immediately establish clear-eyed reflection on familiar social practices – now reined in. By the time the chorus hits with “I’m getting sober, but I’m getting so burnt out, it’s hard to act my age, when I can’t see through the haze,” rising melodic guitar lines deliver cathartic tension, with a final realization that such decisions come down to self-control and personal choice, because “sometimes it just hits you like a ton of bricks, and sometimes it just hits you.” Journalism plays Sunnyvale on Friday 2/17 with DEF.Girls, Dumb Wolves + Fraidycat. – Dave Cromwell
