MOD SUN — “Internet Killed the Rockstar” ALBUM REVIEW
By Philip Plazewski
The music career of Derek “Dylan” Smith, more commonly known as MOD SUN, started long before he began a solo career. While in high school Smith played drums in a small band before later joining the post-hardcore outfit Four Letter Lie in 2004. He remained with them as a drummer until 2009 when he joined the legendary screamo group Scary Kids Scaring Kids until their break-up the following year. While drumming on tour with Scary Kids, Smith would open shows as MOD SUN, a hip hop solo project that means: MOVEMENT ON DREAMS, STAND UNDER NONE. Rather than leaving the alternative music scene to go find a new lane for himself in the hip hop scene, MOD SUN made an interesting choice and stayed where he was. Even though he probably would have reached a larger audience if he had changed music scenes, Smith continued to associate with the clique of bands and artists who would rather play Warped Tour each summer rather than Rolling Loud.
Because of his decision to remain in what is often referred to as “the scene” and not seek the attention of typical rap and hip hop fans, MOD SUN developed a small, yet extremely dedicated cult following within the scene. He released a handful of EPs, mixtapes, and albums in the following years, coining his style of positivity-laced stoner rap as “hippy hop.” Although Smith was often busy touring and releasing music, MOD SUN as a project never saw any significant growth during the 2010s. Even when playing Warped Tour, the demographic and scene he chose to stay in, MOD SUN would often struggle to pull a crowd. In part this was because he had inadvertently made himself a fish out of water. Knowingly playing a genre of music that many in the scene weren’t at all receptive to or simply didn’t find good absolutely crippled Smith’s chance of larger success. Smith did not make things easy for himself but soon MOD SUN would take off in a new direction.
After several loose singles in 2018 and 2019, Smith was beginning to receive attention in pop culture- but not for his music. Attention was beginning to flood in from all corners when Smith began dating the likes of Internet personality Tana Mongeau and actress Bella Thorne, catapulting him into the world of tabloid celebrity gossip. By the time his fourth album was ready for rollout, MOD SUN released a pop punk single called “Karma” in October 2020, allegedly about his former relationship with Mongeau. The release of this song was just the perfect storm that Smith needed to get this new chapter of MOD SUN off the ground. The combination of tabloid drama around the song, pop punk being mainstream for the first time in almost a decade, MOD SUN’s image rebranding and the right industry co-signs lead Smith to the biggest moment of his career yet. But did the “Internet Killed the Rockstar” live up to the hype?
Partially. Expectations were very high, considering that this had Machine Gun Kelly’s “Tickets to My Downfall” to live up to as well as the fact that after spending almost two decades in the scene, MOD SUN should know how to craft a catchy pop punk song by now, or at the very least elements of a catchy pop punk song. The highs of this album definitely approach the highs of MGK’s album, but the lows of this one don’t even come close. There are some truly abysmal songs on IKTR, and although I shouldn’t be surprised since this is coming from the “hippy hop” guy at Warped Tour, those moments still leave me feeling totally blindsided after such thoughtful and well-written songs in the tracklisting. Rather appropriately, “Karma,”the single mentioned earlier, acts somewhat as a microcosm representing the album as a whole. Just like with this album, “Karma” is a song that I really wish I liked a lot more than I actually do. The snappy verses and gang vocal chorus would fit right at home next to “Gives You Hell” by The All-American Rejects, surely by no coincidence. Yet as fun and easy as that Rejects song is to listen to, MOD SUN’s offering feels like there is something missing. The rhythm section doesn’t have enough grit to keep you locked in and ultimately the chorus feels like it is trying to pass itself off as something that sounds larger than it actually is, leaving what is left of the song struggling to back up the bombast.
“Flames (feat. Avril Lavigne),” takes a step closer in the right direction but fails to capitalize just like “Karma.” Avril’s feature sounds fine, and the way the song really starts to smolder towards the back half is a very cool instrumental progression to hear, but on harmonies it sounds like Avril and MOD SUN are competing with each other, trying to convince the other person to sing at a faster/slower pace than what the other is singing. There are a few other misfires like when the vocal harmonies on “Smith” stay ultra grating until the song ends or on “Rollercoaster” when the main melody of the song becomes more nauseating than the track’s namesake. “Pornstar” is easily the worst song I’ve heard in 2021 by a mile. The lyrics are just about as terrible as one could imagine a song with that title having. The chorus sounds cheap and annoying, and frankly I have no idea how or why it’s even on the album.
Having gotten the biggest flaws out of the way now, there is still plenty to love on this album. “Bones” is a thoughtful slow burner that reminisces on lost love before the chorus triumphantly explodes at the end, a clear standout. The other two best songs on the record “Betterman” and “TwentyNUMB” sound exactly like what I wanted this album to be. Sugary, neon pop punk bangers with hooks that will stay in your head all year. The former of the two songs is a surprisingly introspective tune that touches on how past relationships should be looked at as experiences that help oneself grow as a person instead of letting that experience keep you bitter. The song “Prayer” takes probably the most serious turn lyrically. In it, MOD SUN reflects on how his old lifestyle of constantly partying led him down difficult paths that he later had to get sober from. Although MOD SUN’s voice sounds a little goofy on the performance side of things, you can hear the sincerity in both the words and cadence of his voice, making that moment noteworthy nonetheless.
IKTR is the definition of a mixed bag album. Some songs are truly stellar, going above and beyond what I was expecting. In the same breath, some songs will probably end up one of the worst things people will hear all year. If you enjoy the genre of pop punk to a reasonable degree, then there will at least be a song or two worth your time. As for the LP as a whole, there are enough redeeming moments here and there, but there are too many strikes against the record for me to give this anything higher than light to decent 6/10. And with “Pornstar” still in the tracklisting that feels generous if I’m being honest.
Favorite Songs: TwentyNUMB, Betterman, Bones
Least Favorite Songs: Pornstar, Rollercoaster, Smith
