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Few bands can claim that they\u2019re race-car driver approved; Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr<\/a> was one of them. They got Dale Earnhardt Jr\u2019s attention because, obviously, they used his name. He wrote to Daniel Zott and Joshua Epstein in 2011, promising no legal action against the duo and describing himself as a fan. But now, they\u2019ve moved on, and rebranded themselves as JR JR<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Which brings us to their first release under the new name: The self-titled JR JR,<\/em>\u00a0a euphoric, smoothly produced pop album. And while my cynical hipster heart hates the idea that anything so anthemic and catchy can be good, it balances its commercial appeal with enough introspective moments that I\u2019m not ashamed it\u2019s been stuck in my head all day. <\/span><\/p>\n

Take \u201cIn The Middle,\u201d for example. It\u2019s an infectious dance track, but with gloomy under tones. \u201cThere\u2019s a million ways to die,\u201d they proclaim early in the song. Instead of singing about burning up the dance floor, they\u2019re \u201cstanding in the fire,\u201d their indecision rendering them \u201cstuck to the floor.\u201d\u00a0 Usually, n<\/span>ame-based tracks are sappy love (or breakup) songs, but not\u00a0<\/span>JR JR<\/em>‘s\u00a0\u201cCaroline,\u201d which takes place in a hospital. A<\/span>nd though you can imagine a stadium of fans\u00a0pumping their fists and singing along to the chorus of \u201cNo one\u2019s going to live my life for me” and “I don’t want to be you,\u201d the verses reveal\u00a0a more complicated situation as they ask<\/span>, \u201cHow can I tell if it\u2019s drugs or my feelings now?\u201d and hint\u00a0at a drastic change of identity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, there’s no word yet from Dale Earnhardt Jr on his opinion of the duo’s new name and album; we probably won’t know until it’s released\u00a0on September 25 via Warner Bros. Records. In the meantime, check out JR JR’s\u00a0creepy-cool music video for one of the album’s key tracks, “Gone,” where dancers’ legs detach from their owners and run wild.<\/p>\n