Jinx Lennon review: two new albums bubbling with surrealism, honesty and hooks

Past Pupil Stay Sane / Magic Bullets of Madness To Uplift The Grief Magnets
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Artist: Jinx Lennon
Genre: Alternative
Label: Septic Tiger Records

After an extended hiatus, Jinx Lennon returns with two albums  - Past Pupil Stay Sane and Magic Bullets of Madness To Uplift The Grief Magnets  - with each offering distinct flavours. Like Mark E Smith crossed with Pat McCabe, Dundalk's original punk poet unearths macro insights from micro realities, blending anger, empathy and humour.

Past Pupil is a corker; bubbling with surrealism, honesty and hooks while hitting pointed highs on I Know My Town, 70,000 New Jobs, Heart Attack In Spain and Chinaman in Dundalk Town.

Sonically aided by Clinic's Ade Blackburn and Jonathan Hartley, Magic Bullets is considerably darker but less diverse. The machismo-bashing Hard Man Soup and world-weary anthem Silly Fckers stand out.

Thirty-six tracks in total: singular and uncompromising yet inherently compassionate.