P.J.F, the side project of Christian punk band Peter118 has released a five song ep of punk and rock tracks leaning a bit away from the punk of Peter118 but still strong in their Christian message.
P.J.F., Put Jesus First, is an interesting side project from Peter (Szczepanski ) Field (Senseless, Ambassadors of Shalom, Peter 118). I’m not sure the whole story here, but the title track actually dates back to at least 2020, so there must be some story there. Peter118 has a bit of success and notoriety when the band’s 2016 Need You More ep caught the interest of legendary DJ Rodney Bengenheimer and the band’s video started getting some mainstream airplay. Peter118 released an Anthology and live album in 2018 and that was the last I heard from them.
“See it Through” opens up the ep and is the track that has been around at least in video form since at least 2020 and from the opening, one can pick up that there is more of rock tone and structure to the song than the catchy melodic punk from Peter118, so there are some differences here. My ears some early grunge influence going on reminiscent of something from Nirvana Bleach and then there is a pretty solid guitar solo to mix things up.
As if the lyrics in “See It Through” didn’t give away the Christian message of the album, the song “Psalm 81” should make that quite clear. The track has some good guitar and bass work and catchy chorus with some gang vocals for emphasis and again, a good guitar solo.
“Thinking of You” continues much similar as the other songs with the heavy guitar-driven sound but also has some quieter section and a different vocal style than the previous tracks that really fits the song.
“Rise Up” (co-written and recorded with Matt Lane) heads toward the heavy alternative side of things keeping the guitar emphasis and really making good use of the drums to drive the song and adding more catchiness to the track.
“Get Up Offa That Floor” veers a bit toward a country rock/rockabilly sound and just doesn’t work for me when in context of the previous tracks as it seems a bit too much of a departure in overall tone and approach.
In all honesty, this ep mostly made me want to go back to the Peter118 releases I’ve reviewed in the past, and I do heartily recommend checking out the anthology. Most the tracks here are solid, but just seem to be missing something for me but are still worth checking out.
Rating: 6.5/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist
- See it Through
- Psalm 81
- Thinking of You
- Rise Up
- Get Up Offa That Floor
Band Members:
Peter Field – Guitars, vocals
Release Date: April 21, 2023
Record Label: Thumper Punk Records, 2023
Social Media: Bandcamp
Video for ‘See it Through’