Punk Island 2019 on Randall's Island
photo by Kate Hoos

Jesse Sendejas (Days N Daze, Escape from the Zoo) discusses his favorite albums of 2022

Jesse Sendejas sings and plays multiple instruments in DIY folk punk band Days N Daze, and this year he also put out Countin’ Cards, a new album from his other project Escape from the Zoo, on Fat Wreck Chords. With 2022 coming to a close, Jesse made us a list of his favorite albums of the year, including Cheekface, Morrow, comedian Bo Burnham, his label boss Fat Mike’s band NOFX, and more. Read on for his list, with commentary on each pick, in descending order…

Jesse Sendejas’ Favorite Albums of 2022

Another year is comin’ to a close. Another chance to reflect on some of the tunes that kept the last rotation from bein’ too quiet. Here are a handful of my favorites in no particular order. I hope you’re doin’ well, and may the next 365 treat ya even better than these did!!

-je-C

10. Helga Pataki – Our Shitty Demo

Sometimes ya just wanna shut your brain off and scream, and in those times, we have Helga Pataki. The first time I heard this album, I was belly laughing through its entirety, and how could one not with titles and lyrics like “Fuel for yr butt” and “I don’t know you, let’s be friends on facebook.” Since then, I’ve jammed it front to back maybe 30 times. This isn’t really as gnarly as it may seem, seeing as the whole album only clocks in just north of 3 minutes, but damn if that ain’t an enjoyable 3 minutes. So next time ya need to unload your dishwasher or roll up to a particularly long red light, give Helga Pataki’s Our Shitty Demo a listen!!

9. Cheekface – Too Much To Ask

My bass player Matt showed me Cheekface just a few weeks back, and I’ve already jammed this album 8 or 9 times all the way through. I can hear some heavy Cake and Bomb The Music Industry! Influence throughout Too Much To Ask, and I’m absolutely here for it. Great set of tunes for when ya need to inject the day with a bit of levity and a chill, steady beat.

8. Oliver Tree – Cowboy Tears

Oliver Tree was on my best of 2020 list as well with Ugly IS Beautiful. That album helped me a ton through what was a pretty rough year. He’s back this year with his twist on a country western aesthetic and a whole ‘nother batch of earworms. It still gets me how poignant and heartfelt some of his tunes are especially juxtaposed with some of the decidedly silly imagery he uses. Love it.

7. Morrow – The Quiet Earth

I’m gonna pass the talking stick to my homie Elliot Lozier of Doom Scroll, We The Heathens, and Escape from the ZOO for this entry. “The Quiet Earth by Morrow is easily in my top 10 albums this year. Not only is it cello driven melodic crust punk of the most epic proportions, but it also hooks you in with catchy riffs and interesting lyrics of a fictional dystopian world. To quote one of the comments on their Bandcamp, ‘A good pizza is dependent on the quality of the crust. This is good pizza.'”-EL

6. Tryingtogetby – Curse Of A Tongue

Curse Of A Tongue makes me feel young again. It’s straight-up ska-punk, and I absolutely love it. It reminds me of chuggin’ 211 behind Southmore House (an old hometown venue) because I was too young to drink inside. Definitely a fitting soundtrack to a rowdy evening.

5. Marissa Sendejas – The Fool Discography

Please excuse this dollop of nepotism, but I think you’ll find it’s warranted if you give Marissa Sendejas’ The Fool Discography a spin. My little sister is a kickass songwriter, they’ve been at it for over a decade now, and if ya wanna check out some of their tunes, they’re now all in one place!!

4. Bo Burnham – Inside (Deluxe)

Inside fuckin’ destroyed me when I first saw it holed up in a guest room at my folks’ house over quarantine. It hit home SO hard. I can’t believe what that dude was able to put together by himself with just a few mics n cameras. It absolutely blew me away. When I saw there was an Inside Deluxe Edition featuring tracks not included in Inside, I was hesitant to check it out because how do you improve on something that good? Super glad I gave it a listen, though. The bonus content all lives up to the quality of what I saw n heard back in 2021. The jokes are just as on point (the little like thirty-second spider bit gets me every time), and the more poignant thoughtful moments like those in “This isn’t a joke” and “The Chicken” strike chords just as deep.

3. NOFX – Double Album

NOFX’s follow-up to 2021’s Single Album is yet another masterclass in clever lyricism, ear-catching vocal harmony, and thoughtful compelling instrumentation. A few tunes on this one hit super close to home. I struggle with sobriety, so I really appreciated hearing Mike recount their experience with rehab in “Fuck Day Six.” I feel like when folks with a large platform like his talk openly about what it was like for them to get help, it serves to strip away some of the shame and stigma that may keep people from getting the help they need themselves.

2. Sprints – A Modern Job

This album is on this list at the behest of my wife. Veronica LOVES this band, and I gotta say I’m in the same boat. I think they’re relatively new, but they definitely don’t sound lost or unsure of their sound. If ya like honest lyrics delivered with attitude over dirty, grungy guitars, this garage punk band outta Dublin, Ireland, is gonna be right up your alley.

1. Escape from the ZOO – Countin’ Cards

Now for a bit of shameless self-promotion. My electric project, Escape from The ZOO, put out an album early on this year, and though I’m massively biased, of course, I do legitimately think it’s a really solid collection of tunes. This was my first chance getting to work with my homie Elliot Lozier of We the Heathens and Doom Scroll, and it was a blast!! Everyone involved just absolutely killed it. Elliot tracked everything super well, Veronica’s mandolin and vocals fuckin’ shred, and John E. Carey and Baz, being the audio sorcerers they are, knocked it out of the park with the mixes. If ya check it out, lemme know what ya think!!