Song Review: Dear Jane's "咖啡因眼淚/Caffeine Tears"

In the last few years, Dear Jane has released either meaningful, more pop ballads like 2013's "Never Be Alone" or simple and upbeat rock songs like 2012's "Yellow Fever." However, the band outdo themselves by finding a happy medium with "Caffeine Tears," which combines meaningful lyrics with the pop punk sound they are known for.

The takeaway of "Caffeine Tears" is simple, but resonates well: Live life with no regrets. Reality may be tough, but it is better to go after your dreams and live life to the fullest than to not have really lived at all.

Musically, the song is an epic one to listen to and you can tell a lot of blood, sweat, and tears were put into it from the band and the rest of their production team to make it sound so good. Howie has once again created an amazing and dynamic musical composition that at just under 5 minutes, plays like a mini movie. The song starts off upbeat with solid verses and a catchy chorus, slows down during the bridge and utilizes Howie's back up vocals with an echo and faded effect, gradually quickens, then erupts into an extended kick ass guitar solo, before ending with the chorus again. The bridge puts you into a pensive state and the guitar solo make you feel free.

A formula the band has recently found success with for creating great videos, the MV for "Caffeine Tears" possesses a simple story inter cut with shots of the band playing in an empty room, which illustrates the message of the song without taking attention away from it. The video opens with Tim waking up from a dream where he is about to die from a car accident after looking down at his watch, and is then given the same watch from his onscreen girlfriend. After having a jam-packed day going all over the streets of Hong Kong and proposing to his girlfriend, Tim meets the same fate as he did in his dream, before once again waking up. While most Hong Kong MVs these days look cheaply made or are not creative, Dear Jane's last few videos have been memorable and worth rewatching, and this is no different, tying with "Never Be Alone" for my favorite.

"Caffeine Tears" is well-polished and produced, yet edgy, upbeat, and incredibly full of energy, and has a hopeful message to share. In other words, it's Dear Jane utilizing everything it does well. They've yet to disappoint me, but have totally stepped up their game with "Caffeine Tears," making it their strongest single to date.