According to Jack Lists His Top 10 Acoustic Punk Songs

According to Jack is an artist who will put a big fat smile on your face. That’s within the scope of his intentions with his new debut EP Reason to Exist. The solo acoustic project of musician Giacomo Rampazzo, the EP was released on June 14th. A native of Northern Italy, Rampazzo was raised on late 1990s skater punk emanating from California. He presents a very melodic version of punk, more toned down but more heartfelt. It’s a nod to ’90s West Coast punk but done uniquely by Rampazzo.

Reason to Exist is an experiment in minimalism. Rather than melding together frantic guitars and highspeed melodies, Rampazzo maintains a measured approach with According to Jack. His songwriting is grounded and emotionally relatable. Reason to Exist is defined by its sharp hooks and thoughtful introspection. Through five songs, Rampazzo discusses themes of insecurity, loss and nostalgia. These are fairly typical punk themes, but stylistically, there’s nothing typical about According to Jack.

With acoustic punk being the name of the game with Rampazzo, he joins us to share his Top 10 acoustic punk songs that have influenced him as a songwriter.

1. Green Day – “Hold On”

“An underrated song from an underrated album. It’s really solid songwriting, as always, with Green Day. I also really appreciate the addition of the harmonica. I think that, of all bands, Green Day is still my favourite today, and I believe that in one way or another, it shows when you listen to my music.”

2. Rise Against – “Audience of One”

“Acoustic version of a masterpiece by Rise Against. I always come back to it, very nostalgic vibes, and flawless execution.”

3. Bad Religion – “Skyscraper”

“No need for introductions, Bad Religion is Bad Religion. In this case even with piano, what else can you ask for? Bad Religion is the band that introduced me to skate punk, taught me a lot of fancy words, and they are still one of my biggest sources of inspiration.”

4. Flatliners – “Bury Me”

“One of my favourite songs from one of my favourite bands. I think the acoustic arrangement fits even better than the original version.”

5. Tony Sly – “The Shortest Pier”

“A song I fell in love with even before discovering the whole punk rock and No Use For a Name thing. Always brings tears to my eyes so not recommended listening if you are in a party mood.”

6. Jim Lindberg – “Good Enough”

“I don’t know if I would recommend this to all Pennywise fans, but I like it a lot and sounds really sincere to me. It is very interesting to discover how an artist famous for their fast and aggressive hardcore punk songs is capable of writing a high-quality acoustic album.”

7. Sum 41 – “Crash”

“Ok this is really sad; you’ll definitely need to have tissues on hand. It will be worth it though. This is Sum 41 as dark as they can get, and I personally prefer this version of them rather than the pop-punky teenage band.”

8. Tim Timebomb – “She’s Drunk All the Time”

“I appreciate the rockabilly/bluesy vibes here. A musical style I absolutely love but doesn’t seem to be used a lot in punk rock for whatever reason.”

9. NOFX – “Whoops I Od’d”

“Fun song to play if you’re a guitarist, very simple yet really clever and well written like almost all of NOFX’s catalogue. Almost makes me forget that this is also super sad.”

10. Still No One – “Floating Away”

“This is sort of a bonus addition, since is a song from my other skate punk band Still No One. I’m biased so I won’t say anything, give it a spin, hope you like it!”

According to Jack ‘Reason to Exist’ album artwork