More about: The Used
'Hellish lyrics, buoyant choruses and memorable ballads'
Capturing hellish lyrics, buoyant choruses and memorable ballads, Heartwork is The Used second longest studio album following 2017’s The Canyon. It also incorporates features from noble musicians including Fever 333’s vocalist Jason Aalon Butler, Beartooth’s vocalist Caleb Shomo and Blink 182’s Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus.
You might also like...
Opening with colossal ballad ‘Paradise Lost, a poem by John Milton’, this punk bluster kickstarts Heartwork with flying riffs and swirling energy. Dashing in subtle heavy rock tendencies, ‘Blow Me’ features vocals from special guest Jason Aalon Butler. Thrashing hellish screams and militant riffs, the record sees no hesitation in the first two tracks as the band lay down their instruments for complete and utter anarchy.
Mystical ‘Bloody Nose’ feels dark and circus-like, frontman Bert McCracken loops infectious lyrics, “I’ve been on the road, but I’m going way too fast, clear the road, I’m looking for a place to crash and burn, tell me, do I deserve what’s coming.”
Atmospheric ‘My Cocoon’ is short but effective. Mellow sounding, this one minute interval transitions the previous atmosphere of emo disorder into their electro-pop single ‘Cathedral Bell’. This track sounds a lot more mainstream than the rest of the album, but it doesn’t feel misplaced, the angelic chimes rest amongst McCracken’s whispering vocals.
It seems the title track is where the magic stems from. This spoken word interlude is chilling, lingering and climactic. ‘The Lottery’, featuring Beartooth’s vocalist Caleb Shomo, is a swirling pit of mayhem and it doesn’t stop there, Shomo’s progressive screamo lyrics, alongside McCracken’s vocals, are pretty impactful. It feels dark from the very first guitar pluck and is an easy standout.
Fast paced penultimate track ‘Darkness Bleeds’ is pretty hard to keep up with, but it’s a joyous ride. Finishing with the heartfelt ‘To Feel Something’, it concludes Heartwork with an emotional goodbye as frontman McCracken pleads, “I just wanna feel something, anything is better than this.”
Returning after three years, Heartwork welcomes the return of John Feldman since their 2014 release, Imaginary Energy - an undeniable part of the magic behind this album.
Heartwork is out now via Big Noise/Hassle Records.
More about: The Used
