Monday, January 30, 2023

Album: Silent Planet - Iridescent [2021]

It took me a long while to appreciate the hidden, beautiful intricacies of Iridescent. Silent Planet was a band I knew very little of, and when I first dipped my toes into the record, I wasn't even that familiar with the metalcore genre either. More than a year after it's release, and many attempts to sink into it, it finally clicked.

Iridescent first showed its sound to me with Trilogy. The main riff caught my eyes instantly, which I think it does for a lot of people, and there were some great moments throughout the track. After putting the album release on my radar, I promptly forgot about it until it came out, and didn't really get into it at the time. A few months later, after :Signal: released, I went back to Iridescent again and clicked with Second Sun, a song I now love a lot for it's bold melodies, emotional sound and lyrical profoundness. After that, the rest of the pieces started falling into place.

Nik Nocturnal called Silent Planet "poetry slam in the shape of breakdowns" in one of his videos, and I think it is a surprisingly valid perspective of the band. One of the many things about the band that I've grown to love is how poetic their lyrics are, complex but not pretentious, and always very intriguing, whether profound or rageful. That said, the other facets of the band's music are definitely on par as well. Their guitarwork and drumwork is full of impressive technicality, showcasing creative writing but also never compromising on listenability. The vocals are unbelievably capable and expressive, and at times surprising me with the cleans.

When it comes to metalcore, they actually have an impressive diversity of sound to offer. Brutal breakdowns, intense riffage, emotional ballads, raw spoken word sections, atmospheric interludes, vivid ambiences, mathcore moments, and through it all the band never compromises on musical quality and creative intent. The record has some amount of experimentation but it is nowhere near gimmicky, and a prime example of this is Panopticon, a song that doesn't feature guitars at all and puts the bass front and center, and manages to remain a solid banger on the tracklist.

Iridescent is an amazing metalcore record, no doubt, but it is a first for me when it comes to seeing so much legitimate poetic intent in modern metal. I'm extremely glad I didn't give up on the record before it clicked for me, it has now become one of my favourites of 2021, largely for it's lyricism and emotional range. Silent Planet is, strangely enough, a band I never knew I needed in my life.

Rating: 9/10

Tracklist:
1. 112
2. Translate the Night
3. Trilogy
4. Second Sun
5. Panopticon
6. The Sound of Sleep
7. Alive, as a Housefire
8. Terminal
9. (liminal);
10. Anhedonia
11. Till We Have Faces
12. Iridescent

Sunday, January 29, 2023

Lyric Of The Week 48: Headfirst

"Pity's for those without reason."

Tallah - Headfirst, from the album The Generation Of Danger

Friday, January 27, 2023

Song: ILLENIUM - Shivering (feat. Spiritbox) [ILLENIUM (2023), 2022]

EDM and metal collaborations have been one of the most underrated type of music for me, considering my love for EDM and dubstep in my younger days and my current love for modern metal. There have been a few solid ones here and there in the past few years, especially with Kayzo, PhaseOne and Sullivan King, but Shivering has them all beat by a huge margin for me.

Just the announcement alone got me super excited. Seeing two huge names from both genres, both of which I loved for their creativity and refined quality, putting together a track, felt like a dream. EDM and modern metal overlap more than you think, but I had a feeling these two artists would find a way to make it sound unique.

I love that they didn't have to compromise. Parts of the song are distinctly modern metalcore and Spiritbox, parts of the song are distinctly EDM, although the ILLENIUM influence is a bit different. Both sides got to explore quite a variety of soundscapes for a five minute song, with equal parts euphoric, melodic and hard-hitting. Their sonic fusion is blissfully overloaded with juxtaposed musical textures that somehow work well together.

It's clear they really did collaborate on this together, and it wasn't just split work. Both parties are present in just about every moment of the song. ILLENIUM's synth work in the intro leads into Spiritbox's pop-esque hard rock chorus, the overlayed screams subtly setting the tone. A mix of ILLENIUM's keyboard synthwork and Mike Stringer's ambient leads are woven throughout most of the track, giving that undeniably ethereal atmosphere. The interchangeable metal drums and EDM drum samples provide so much dynamic intensity, and their comfortability with using vocal effects here and there to spice up the song is fantastic.

The dubstep breakdown is without a doubt one of the best parts of the song. I haven't seen a song use bass drops this effectively in a long, long while, and not to mention Courtney dropping some solid screams on top of it. If I'm being honest, I was kind of caught off guard by it as it came right after the melodic drop, and it blew my mind away the first time I heard it. It still remains one of my favourite electronic moments in recent years, simply because of how good of an impression it made.

Their combination of pop, electronic, hard rock and metalcore elements makes this song a mixed bag of goods, but it's amazing how cohesive it feels, no doubt a mark of great musicians. There's a hint of subversion sprinkled throughout, but I'm inclined to think that they simply did not care about meeting expectations or vice versa, they just made what they wanted to make. I love their spirit of pushing boundaries and experimenting, it is something sorely needed in all arts, and both ILLENIUM and Spiritbox did their part in stepping out of each of their own comfort zones.

I'd be happy to see more collaborations between electronic artists and modern metal bands. I think the metalstep genre fusion has a lot of untapped potential, stifled by old mindsets of bands' live playing concerns, which is getting less relevant with the increase of electronic elements in modern metal music anyways. Shivering set a high bar for what could be, and I love everything about it.

Rating: 4/5

"ILLENIUM" Album Cover

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Album: Architects - All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us [2016]

Architects has had a wild ride through their metalcore career, through rage and tragedy and everything after. A lot of "diehard fans" claim that All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us is their best work, and that everything after is them "going soft" and "selling out". If I'm being honest, I didn't really like All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us at first because of this, having really enjoyed all the albums since, but I've since learned to ignore their opinions and appreciate every album for what it is.

When it comes to 2010s metalcore, this is definitely up there. All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us is a relentless and aggressive experience, even as they tread very emotional territory. Being one of the last pieces of work Tom Searle made before he sadly passed, it understandably has a lot of weight on it. When it comes to their iconic metalcore sound, what some people call "architects-core", this is the pinnacle of that sound of theirs, only closely challenged by their subsequent Holy Hell. Heaviness reigns throughout the tracklist, with every track boasting their own piece of unbridled, seething rage.

The guitarwork and riffage is energetic, the drumming packs a punch and is constantly pumping, and the screaming is undoubtedly angry. The lyricism and messages woven throughout the album are clear and unwavering, channelling their rightful and justified anger at the world into a concise piece of violent art. Despite its constant anger, there are moments of sadness, sentiment and seriousness. Besides the cynicism of Nihilist and unforgiving rage of A Match Made In Heaven, there is much else to be found in the despair of All Love is Lost, the subtle hopefulness in Gravity and the acceptance in Memento Mori. And when it comes to indescribable grief and pain, Gone With The Wind tears me up every time I think about how Tom was facing death and wrote such an unbelievably raw piece of music while fighting cancer.

This album's baseline of rage and heaviness has it's pros and cons. A metalcore record like this needs this much violent passion to do justice to the emotions it's trying to evoke, but it also dulls the experience a little bit. I'll be honest, my initial indifference to the record was largely due to how similar the songs sound on first listen, when I had yet to dig into the smaller and more subtle parts of each song that really sets each song apart. Despite brilliant guitar riffs and vocal melodies, there is only so much I could find memorable in so much rage. It took me a lot of attempts at listening to the record over the course of a year to finally get settled in.

I'll give credit where it's due, it is a brilliant, powerful and emotive record. I can see why it was so critically acclaimed, and I wouldn't want to disagree even a little bit. It just happens to be that, having heard Holy Hell first, it was a little harder to get into, but that's alright. For me, records are rarely special on their first listen, especially considering the kind of records I've fallen in love with, and this is no exception, it just isn't too special either.

Rating: 9/10

Tracklist:
1. Nihilist
2. Deathwish
3. Phantom Fear
4. Downfall
5. Gone With The Wind
6. The Empty Hourglass
7. A Match Made In Heaven
8. Gravity
9. All Love is Lost
10. From The Wilderness
11. Memento Mori

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Lyric Of The Week 47: The Ballad of Mona Lisa

"Say what you mean, tell me I'm right."

Panic! At The Disco - The Ballad of Mona Lisa, from the album Vices & Virtues

Saturday, January 21, 2023

Song: Twenty One Pilots - Level of Concern [2020]

Let's be real, 2020 was a tough time for everyone. I'm glad music gave me the strength to get through the pandemic and all that came with it, and I'm especially grateful to the artists and musicians that continued to make music during that time, whether as their own escape or because they knew that the world needed it. There were a lot of songs that I held on to dearly to tide me through those times, and there are more than a handful that remain special after all this time, but Level of Concern arguably takes the trophy in this department. This pop rock tune, full of optimistic tones and subtle pessimism, managed to encapsulate a lot of the uncertainty and instability of life in the face of a worldwide crisis while remaining hopeful.

Twenty One Pilots is not a stranger to the pop world, and most of people should be familiar with their big hits. But even if you aren't a huge fan that's heard their sound evolve since Vessel, it's not hard to realise that Level of Concern has a bit of a different sound to everything they've previously done. With hindsight, it's easy to say that this song and Scaled And Icy sound quite similar, but at the time it felt like an intentional shift in sound for them to reflect the situation we were in.

The themes of quarantine and isolation are evident throughout the lyrics, and it made the song so much more relatable and connected with the listener more when it came out. The chorus line "tell me we're alright, tell me we're okay" reflected a very common sentiment that many people had, being stuck in lockdown. For many, this song was therapeutic and cathartic, me included. The emotional clarity it brought to me in a time where I had no idea what to feel was really important for me.

It's really hard for me to be objective about this song when a majority of its significance to me was what it represented in sentiment, and music is already subjective enough to begin with. That said, as a song it's pretty solid overall. It might not be a standout pop hit but there's absolutely nothing to complain about with the writing. Twenty One Pilots is a two-man band who have gotten as far as they have with their clear musical talent and effort, and this song is no exception.

Level of Concern is still and likely will remain a musical landmark of the early pandemic years for me, but I think that's okay. It still makes me happy to hear this song even though 2020 is behind us, and how much hope it gave me in dark times. There is absolutely nothing new about the fact that the songs I'm sentimental about are near perfect in my eyes, so get used to it.

Rating: 4.5/5

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Album: Pierce The Veil - Selfish Machines [2010]

After enjoying Collide With The Sky immensely, I wanted to hear more of Pierce The Veil. Selfish Machines, being home to some of their most popular songs as well, was an obvious choice. It's always fun to hear older material from a band, especially when it's the album prior to their "best". For some reason, these records always seem to store some amazing deep cuts that sometimes even trump the "best" record's offerings.

I already knew Caraphernelia and Bulletproof Love before diving in, this was before I started listening to full records so I had my first taste of Pierce The Veil from the top 5 songs on Spotify. I didn't know what to expect from Selfish Machines at first, but on my first listen I was pleasantly surprised to find that its sound wasn't wildly different from its successor. Their energetic and youthful post-hardcore rage was still in full force, arguably more prominent than in Collide With The Sky. More lead guitar work, a tiny bit more screaming, a tad bit less pop-like and a lot more fun. There really are some days where Selfish Machines feels like a better album overall than Collide With The Sky, but most days I'm happy to see them as equally awesome.

Getting more of their great music is no doubt a blessing. There is a sizeable amount of beautiful instrumentation, catchy vocal melodies, brilliant riffs and drumming, and an unmistakable essence of love-laden, youthful exuberance emanating from every second of this record. I particularly love the non-live band elements that contribute to the euphoric soundscapes on Bulletproof Love and Million Dollar Houses (The Painter), they really do hit a sweet spot that I don't really know how to describe with these two tracks.

If there's one difference I had to point out between Selfish Machines and Collide With The Sky, it's that Selfish Machines boasts a lot more complexity overall. More guitarwork, more instrumental and melodical variety, and more structural diversity. I love that they did the prelude-to-main double track trope here with Southern Constellations and The Boy Who Could Fly, it was something small I adored about Collide With The Sky and I'm glad to see that it's not a one-off.

There's really not that much I can or want to say. Both Selfish Machines and Collide With The Sky are records that I'd much rather feel and experience than try to put into words, and a majority of its appeal is the emotion that the records can capture and channel to the listener. I hate that I've been comparing Selfish Machines to its successor the entire time, since it came first and deserves to stand on its own, but I've always thought of them as sister albums, and it just happens to be that I listened to them in the wrong order. If it isn't clear at this point, it's an amazing record.

Rating: 10/10

Tracklist:
1. Besitos
2. Southern Constellations
3. The Boy Who Could Fly
4. Caraphernelia (feat. Jeremy McKinnon of A Day To Remember)
5. Fast Times at Clairemont High
6. The New National Anthem
7. Bulletproof Love
8. Stay Away From My Friends
9. I Don't Care If You're Contagious
10. Disasterology
11. Million Dollar Houses (The Painter)
12. The Sky Under the Sea
Reissue [2013]:
13. Kissing in Cars

Sunday, January 15, 2023

Song: Sleep Token - The Summoning [Take Me Back To Eden, 2023]

I literally cannot be more excited for Sleep Token in 2023. They just claimed my "most listened artist of 2022" spot and they're already coming back for more. Dropping two songs in two days is ridiculous enough, but the absolute subversive masterpiece that is The Summoning has honestly caught me completely off guard.

A six-and-a-half minute song is already a good sign, and the song starting with some good old chunky riffing is an even better sign. Throughout the verse and chorus, the instrumentals take on a heavier sound than usual, and only continues to do so with that absolute brutality of a scream section. Vessel has definitely done harsh vocals before, but never like that, and not to mention doing it over a literal metalcore staple chug breakdown.

To continue the chain of subversion, they follow up the heaviest breakdown they've ever done with a guitar solo of all things. Of course, nothing they've never done before, but they've never put a guitar solo in with so much pizzazz and tastefulness, and definitely not for this long.

They go back to the chorus again, which I must point out, is one of their better choruses. Vessel throwing in some high notes is something I never thought about, but it is so blissfully beautiful to hear. Alongside some shoegaze-esque instrumentation and the subsequent distant screams, the whole soundscape becomes very ethereal and intense.

Doubling down on ethereal, they follow it up with a seriously long ambient section, long enough for you to start floating into musicalness. The synthwork is great, it's simultaneously elegant and calming. It also does a great job at transitioning out of the heaviest thing they ever written into the next section, which is the most unexpected yet unbelievably awesome thing I've ever heard.

I never thought about how Sleep Token would sound if they were funky and lowkey sexy, but the final one and a half minutes of The Summoning features an absolutely seductive variation of their verse. For an alternative metal band that's constantly pushing their sound and already so distinctive in the first place, this is just divine. Not only do they pull off so many unexpected musical choices in one song, they do it so well, like they've been doing it forever. The chunk is absolutely chunky, the funk is absolutely funky.

Sleep Token has a chokehold on me right now, and even though I found the first single great but not outstanding, they are both quality singles and have gotten me so unbelievably hyped for their third record that's coming out. I was late to the party on Sundowning and This Place Will Become Your Tomb, but I will be ready to catch Take Me Back To Eden when it drops. Worship.

Rating: 4.5/5

"Take Me Back To Eden" Album Cover

Lyric Of The Week 46: Pretenders

"Judge, jury, executioner, exactly which are you?"

Darko US - Pretenders (feat. Ben Duerr), from the self-titled album Darko US

Thursday, January 12, 2023

Album: Dance Gavin Dance - Afterburner [2020]

Afterburner is Dance Gavin Dance's 9th record, and in the aftermath of Mothership and Artificial Selection, the standard has already hit an all-time high for the band. Despite that, they managed to deliver another solid record and slowly refining their sound even further.

When you look at their discography as a whole, Mothership to Afterburner feels like a trilogy of a similar sound, albeit in different flavours of intense chaos. Afterburner feels like the slightly more levelheaded sibling of the trio, featuring more cohesive tracks but not lacking in any wild bangers. I think the best way to put it is that they've introduced a bit more of modern post-hardcore influences while remaining mostly swancore.

It's as fun as the band has always been, whether it's Tilian singing in Spanish over a latin-infused Calentamiento Global, a subtle diss track on Born To Fail, a Secret Band-esque heavy banger Say Hi, Tilian screaming on Lyrics Lie while the guitars go crazy, or Jon Mess' lyrics on literally every track. They haven't lost any of their energy and have only improved in the catchiness department.

There are some real highlights on this record. One in a Million and Strawberry's Wake are some standouts of the band's entire career, and then there's also Nothing Shameful. What a beautiful work of art, no doubt with the help of Andrew Wells, finally as an official vocal feature too. Dance Gavin Dance doesn't do love songs that often, but Nothing Shameful hits a spot I don't really know how to describe.

Afterburner is a great record, but if I'm being honest, I don't come back to it as often as I do the others. It's a little dull in comparison to juggernauts like Mothership and Jackpot Juicer, but it still has a bright shine of its own. Nothing to hate about it, just another quality selection of songs served up by the five-piece swancore outfit.

Rating: 9/10

Tracklist:
1. Prisoner
2. Lyrics Lie
3. Calentamiento Global
4. Three Wishes
5. One in a Million
6. Parody Catharsis
7. Strawberry's Wake
8. Born To Fail
9. Parallels
10. Night Sway
11. Say Hi
13. Into The Sunset (feat. Bilmuri)

Monday, January 9, 2023

Song: Crown The Empire - In Another Life (feat. Courtney LaPlante) [DOGMA (2023), 2021]

I remember back in 2021, just seeing Spiritbox absolutely blowing up in the metal community, in part because of all the bangers by Spiritbox or featuring Courtney popping up everywhere. Hearing Circle With Me and Contraband after that, I was more than excited to see another Courtney feature, this time with metalcore/post-hardcore rockers Crown The Empire.

I kind of got the impression that not a lot of people liked this song in comparison to Contraband, which I found both weird and sad. Sure, it's not face-pummeling brutality with enough rage to rival the sun, but it still has great vocal melodies and chunk, and I enjoyed it a lot when it came out. Anything Courtney touches is gold, but the bands she collaborates with are still extremely solid on their own.

They have a unique dual vocal texture going on for the majority of the song, and I lowkey really enjoy Hayden's screams, it has this grittier and thicker sound to it. Andy's cleans are great, it might not be the most crazy vocal melody to sing but he makes it sound equal parts beautiful and haunting.

The chorus is one of the best things I've heard that year, there's just something about the vocal melody that really hits the spot. The call-and-response sing and scream dynamic is really cool as well, and really hooked me in the first time I heard it.

Of course, Courtney LaPlante. I'm glad they let her do both cleans and screams, something I lowkey wished was on Contraband. Minor gripe, one that I've heard from other people, the transition to Courtney's part is kind of nonexistent and I can agree that if you didn't know how the vocalists sounded you might not even be aware that it's a different vocalist at that point. Despite that, it's a section that flows well, and the scream section is tastefully brutal. There's nothing quite like Courtney's screams to make a song that much better.

I think it's fun that they just went with another chunky breakdown to end off the song. They could've thrown another chorus to end off like most songs of this caliber do, but they 000'ed it up instead. Even for Crown This Empire, it's a rare thing to see them go for heavy like this.

In Another Life is an underrated banger, sometimes I feel like it got overshadowed by Contraband as the "better" Courtney feature single, they are both great tracks in their own rights. Circle With Me, Contraband and In Another Life are literally my top 3 songs of 2021, so 'nuff said. Banger banger banger.

Rating: 4.5/5

"DOGMA" Album Cover

Sunday, January 8, 2023

Lyric Of The Week 45: The Sound of Sleep

"As if more blood could stop the bleeding."

Silent Planet - The Sound of Sleep, from the album Iridescent

Friday, January 6, 2023

Album: Dead Poet Society - -!- [2021/2022 (Deluxe)]

 

I stumbled across Dead Poet Society on my YouTube recommended feed when I saw their .CoDA. music video. It hooked me in quite quickly with a uniquely groovy riff and catchy vocal melodies, and just like that, the band was on my radar. I liked the album on Spotify and finally came back to it another day, and found myself with a unique flavour of alternative rock to soak in.

I haven't listened to a lot of alt rock records, so I don't have much of a baseline, but as records go, it was a sufficiently engaging experience front to back. Between spoken word interludes, energetic rock pieces and haunting ballads, there's a sizeable portion of quality served in this album. Standout cuts like .CoDA., .intoodeep. and .burymewhole. channel the more intense and passionate side of the band, while deeper cuts like .haunted. and I Never Loved Myself Like I Love You put the softer, rawer and more vulnerable side of them on display. There's also a bit of experimentation sprinkled throughout the tracklist with .SALT. and .lovemelikeyoudo., diversifying their sound immensely.

There's something quite fun about the way they write music, even if it's not the most life-changing thing in the world. They have every facet of writing solidly locked down, and it's apparent there's a lot of personality injected into the songs. Despite it's more barebones styling, mostly devoid of additional electronic or non-live elements, they manage to keep things sonically diverse and vibrant for the majority of the tracklist.

I have to admit, it's a bit of a hit or miss for some of the songs, but the hits hit hard, and the misses are at most generic, nowhere near bad. I have found myself cherrypicking favourites from this record after my initial soaking in the record, but I cannot deny that they built an album experience that's worth experiencing in full, and that I did enjoy riding through.

The deluxe edition didn't bring too much new to the table, humbly presenting the usual stripped, live and remix additions. There was a remastered edition of an old single of theirs which didn't really stand out to me, but the Jordan Fish remix did catch my eye. It's cool to see that Bring Me The Horizon's electronic and production mastermind is not only aware of Dead Poet Society but found one of their songs interesting enough to remix, and the remix is fun.

Maybe my opinion will change as I listen to more of alternative rock and start to get a sense of what's valued and essential to the genre, but as it currently stands, -!- is a record that stands out from 2021. Whether it's the stylistic choices in song titles and general aesthetic or the musical identity they've built, it's a record I come back to every now and then for a good time.

Rating: 7/10

Tracklist:
1. -!-
2. .futureofwar.
3. .burymewhole.
4. .getawayfortheweekend.
5. .AmericanBlood.
6. .intoodeep.
7. .georgia.
8. -JU-
9. I Never Loved Myself Like I Loved You
10. .SALT.
11. .CoDA.
12. .loveyoulikethat.
13. -gopi-
14. .lovemelikeyoudo.
15. .beenherebefore.
16. .haunted.
Deluxe Edition (2022):
17. .LoAir. - 2022
18. .CoDA. - Stripped
19. .AmericanBlood. - Stripped
20. .SALT. - Jordan Fish Remix
21. .intoodeep. - Live in Denver
22. .SALT. - Live in Kansas City

(Deluxe Edition Cover)

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Song: Halsey - Experiment On Me [Birds of Prey: The Album, 2020]

I cannot put in words how excited I was to find out Halsey put out a rock song produced by the Bring Me boys, and it had screaming, proper screams. It's like giving a kid a candy bag the size of a kid. I don't care what you think, this is one of the coolest things to ever happen.

As a one-off track for the movie soundtrack of Birds of Prey, it definitely fit the vibe well. It's so cool to see Halsey embrace a much more vibrant and violent side of musical expression, alongside a fusion of electronic and rock elements and Bring Me The Horizon's trademark musical touch. Before this, I didn't even come close to thinking she would make something like this, her material up to that point was solidly anchored in pop and there was definitely no screams involved.

I love the chaos that they chose to harness in this track. Other than the relentlessly energetic instrumentals full of sharp sounds and strong beats, the artificial distortion they put on her voice for the majority of the track is stellar, really honing in on the vibe that this song brings across. Despite that, they let her pure cleans shine through on softer sections and it really brings home the multi-faceted musical identity of the song. That and Halsey letting some grit shine through in her vocals on the verses makes this song so distinct and full of personality.

Bring Me The Horizon's sound is evident throughout. Their electronic endeavours since Sempiternal echo through the framework of this song, from the high-pitched synths to the song structures. The riffs and drumwork aren't complex but they're as concise and powerful as every other Bring Me The Horizon song's are, providing a strong foundation but giving Halsey plenty of space to shine.

The final chorus, come on. Actual screams from a pop musician feels like a dream come true, and it ain't a cheap shout either. It's a solid scream held over a punching pseudo-breakdown, and I know the Bring Me boys wouldn't settle for anything less in quality. Gosh, it's so invigorating to have something like this happen in mainstream music, and I really do hope this isn't the last we see of Halsey's rock and screaming journey (maybe even take to Bring Me's career and delve into some metalcore?). Even though I don't fully  love how drawn out the bridge is, I respect the role it plays in making the final moments hit that much harder, and it's not like it's a bad buildup anyways.

I think it's understated how well executed, smart and creative they were with this collaboration. With an intrinsically intense context, they fused the best of electronic rock with pertinent pop sensibilities and pulled Halsey over the pop/alt line so that she could give us the best of both worlds. It's a one-off track not confined to album restrictions or existing sonic expectations, it's full of fun and passion, a collision of two powerhouses of their own genres that's a unique flavour of perfection.

Rating: 5/5

"Birds of Prey: The Album" Album Cover

Sunday, January 1, 2023

Lyric Of The Week 44: Hysteria

"In this state of hysteria, I can save everything I betrayed."

Spiritbox - Hysteria, from the EP Rotoscope