I’m back in Connecticut after taking part in the beehiiv company offsite in Riviera Maya, Mexico (outside of Cancun) last week. True to form, I didn’t want to go the day before but was certainly bummed to be leaving at the end.

The reason we even have an offsite is because beehiiv is globally distributed (and I do mean GLOBAL). Most of our work is done “async,” meetings are typically a last resort, and people are given the autonomy to work how they work best. Naturally, this seems an ideal place for me to espouse all of my thoughts about remote work, but like pretty much everything else in the world, you’ve already made your decision. For me, remote work is 100% the best thing that’s ever happened to my career. It’s made me more productive, less anxious, and (no duh) a more present father.

That being said, I’m once again writing from the public library, because I find for my wife (who travels into NYC on Tuesdays) and me, a little bit of separation during the work week is very positive. I get off the couch, she gets some time to enjoy our beautiful home without two children screaming “POOP BUTT” every seven seconds. But the best part? Me going to the library is MY choice. beehiiv doesn’t care if im working from the edge of a cliff or a deserted WeWork. And if you’re wondering if we are still a company who cooks, I recommend following us on LinkedIn for a taste of how much this company of less than 100 can get done in a week.

Whoops, turns out I did in fact espouse all of my thoughts on remote work. Ask anyone who’s been at a social function with me during the last five years and they’ll simply roll their eyes and go, “The Remote Work Guy? He needs a hobby.”

Well joke’s on you. I do have a hobby, and it’s telling people about mildly popular music that’s been out for years.

The Wombats - “Is This What It Feels Like to Feel Like This?” (2022)

The Wombats are not a Ska band, despite every false memory I have of them being a ska band. Instead, they are a British Indie Rock band in the vein of Ok Go, Arctic Monkeys, Foals, Death Cab, etc etc. Guitar rock with a little electro stuff. Otherwise known as: Right In My Wheel House.

A peek behind the curtain here at JackJams, and it’s that I have no formal procedure for choosing songs week to week. When I started this newsletter, I figured music would just find me, but since I no longer spend 60 hours a week trolling message boards, the script has been flipped.

Now I’m out here like some aging A&R Rep trying to find a song with no game plan except, “I like this song, let’s see who’s on their AI-Generated Radio Playlist.” You know, like the Rock Gods intended. Is it lazy? Sure. Does it usually work? We wouldn’t be here if it didn’t.

So even though I’ve known about The Wombats in the way you are aware there are lots of types of apples, I’ve never actually heard any of their songs. Their music is upbeat, a little funky, and completely devoid of anything that would alert you to their British-ness (at least from what I’ve heard). I’m not even 100% sure if I’ve picked a popular song of theirs, all I know is that it’s on an EP and has a remix that sounds no different than the actual song.

This is music that will make you bob your head, ask who it is, and then move on. And that’s a really rude thing to say, but also like IDK, the highest praise you can give a band if you’re a parent? This is that perfect type of playlist song that you forget about for a time, hear on shuffle and then get obsessed over for weeks at a time. Also high praise if I do say so myself.

So no, I don’t know anything about The Wombats or the trajectory of their career, but I’ve now listened to a good bit of their discography in the last two days and their hit rate is astoundingly high. So start with “Is This What It Feels Like to Feel Like This?” and then let your freak flag fly. As another one of their songs on this EP says, “I Think My Mind Has Made It’s Mind Up” when it comes to being the world’s newest (but definitely not baldest) Wombats superfan.

Is it a JackJam?

There is no scientific process for this part of the newsletter, either. Sometimes I feel like Jack understands what I’m doing, and then others I’m fairly certain he just wants me to shut up.

However, I will say, Jack is the type of kid who has watched the first 15 minutes of Cars six thousand times because he is obsessed with starting at the “beninning.” So playing him three minute pop-rock songs is at least something he can stomach before getting bored. Unlike some other songs presented to him, at least this one gets to the point pretty quickly.

On the way to school this morning, I asked him if he liked the song. He said he did. I asked if it was a little or a lot, and made sure to let him know that I had no dog in this fight. He said “a lot.” To be clear, his is opinion is his own and I am never trying to force cultural criticism on him (unless it’s something objectively true like how the teaser trailer to Frozen II is one of the most insane things marketed to children ever).

I know an upper middle class white dude teaching his blond-haired, blue-eyed kid that his opinion matters is like the most boring and problematic thing in the world, but hopefully my wife and I can teach him to use his station in life for good.

But, uh, that feels like a discussion for another newsletter (as in, someone else’s newsletter). Next week we’ll be preparing for a trip to Texas to spend the Memorial Day holiday weekend with family, so TBD if we get out a new issue or not. But I guess you could say that every week at this point.

Keep ‘em guessing. See you soon,

BLAKE