by Magnolia Wang ’19, Arts and Entertainment Editor

As I was finishing up my calculus homework, I checked the clock. It was 12:04 A.M. I sank in my chair, exhausted yet bored. But it dawned upon me: the Jonas Brothers’ new single, “Cool,”, had just been released. I jumped out of my chair, too excited to contain myself. I shoved my homework aside and pried open my laptop. Within seconds, I was dancing ecstatically around my room, blasting the song at full volume.   

The Jonas Brothers’ new comeback singles, “Sucker” and “Cool,” debuted on March 1st, 2019 and April 4th, 2019 respectively. They are the group’s first songs together in six years.  The group previously broke up in October 2013, after announcing that the release of their album V had been cancelled.  As a fan of their previous albums, Jonas Brothers and A Little Bit Longer, I had high expectations for their new songs, which the trio surpassed with flying colors. After listening to both songs on repeat, here’s my two cents.

“Sucker” caught me by surprise, mainly because of its nuanced, non-rock style.  Starting off with Nick Jonas singing in falsetto, the song set a lively mood, and I began to bust some moves.  Joe Jonas then introduced himself with an attention grabbing pre-chorus: “I’ve been dancin’ on top of cars and stumblin’ out of bars,” his rhythmic enunciation contributing to a rather exotic, tropical tone. In the chorus, Nick swooned over his wife, Priyanka Chopra: “You say the word and I’ll go anywhere blindly,” he sang, professing that he is hopelessly in love with her. He smoothly wove his tenor voice into the syncopated dance beats, making the song suitable for working out, but also keeping it at an easy listen. However, I felt that the repetitive lyrics of the song veered off of the Jonas Brothers’ classic rock style. Even though I liked the dance beats, the song lacked originality and the group’s signature singer-songwriter appeal.  In fact, the chorus sounded very similar to “Feel It Still” by Portugal. The Man. All in all, “Sucker” was not one of my immediate favorites, but the song did find its way onto many of my playlists.

“Cool,” on the other hand, was the polar opposite.  Its unique and heartfelt chorus, “Woke up feelin’ like a new James Dean/I comb my hair like an old school sheen” added a sense of familiarity and sentiment to the song. Here, Nick Jonas complemented Kevin Jonas’s electric guitar solo by singing in a soft rock style. I particularly appreciated Joe Jonas’ reference to Game of Thrones, the show that his wife Sophie Turner stars in, as well as Nick Jonas’s line “Standin’ there with the red dress on ya,” referring to the red dress Priyanka Chopra had worn at their wedding. “Cool” is a compelling masterpiece that beautifully showcases the Jonas Brothers’ talent for versatile and timeless style.       

As I went to sleep that night, I couldn’t get “Cool” out of my head. But that didn’t bother me.  I hope to attend one of their future concerts, as I’ve truly become a sucker for their art.