Alex George

an incredible return from them! this is pretty much what i thought scaled and icy was going to be after shy away came out as the lead single, but it’s not just that sound at all. it has so much to offer as it embraces pop and alternative rock so well throughout the listen. but it also provides a bunch of great hip-hop and grunge rock tracks as well which makes for a really enjoyable pop-punk sound palette that’s easy to latch onto. the drum and bass performances from tyler and josh on this record are both phenomenal and they carry this batch of well produced/mixed songs with a host of great fills and grooves. i also think the directness of the lyrics keeps these songs very well balanced with depth in what they cover while allowing the listener to easily pull things from them and; therefore, connect to them. most of these tracks tackle very specific external episodes in life and internal struggles when it comes to mental health and the enduring battle that we all have with it. my only complaint would be that i wish it was able to mix more of their storytelling into those lyrics on this one since the dema story isn’t super prevalent on the majority of these tracks, and the cliffhanger ending has me pretty confused. really feels to me, as a fan of the band and the story, like a part 1 of 2 in that way. regardless, this record is great as it delivers such a cohesive sound and tight lyrical concept throughout!!