Fall semester was, to put it succinctly, a hot mess. However, between the assignments and projects, I was lucky enough to find time for a handful of albums to take over my life. Here’s a small selection of things I found worth listening to.
Joyride the Pale Horse – Heart Attack Man
29 min. | Hardcore / Alt. Rock | April 2025
Joyride the Pale Horse is a twelve-song wild ride, neatly packaged into just under half an hour. I was late to the Heart Attack Man party, but with the Cleveland trio’s growing popularity, it’s truly better late than never. If you like hardcore, I can’t recommend them enough.
As for the album, Joyride is cathartic, touching on death, frustration with the state of the world, and internal conflicts alike. In an interview (OurSpace with Matt Vettese) with lead singer Eric Egan, he mused on the album’s creation and how some of its heavy themes seem incongruent with how pleased he is with the band’s success.
Heavy, hard, and fast, Joyride is packed with loud drums and dirty guitar tones that scratch an itch to scream into the void. It’s characteristically humorous, especially in tracks like “The Gallows” (which seems like the older cousin of “Clown School” from the band’s album Freak of Nature (2023)) and the title track “Joyride the Pale Horse”. “Can’t Slow Down” is the band’s shortest song, but also their fastest. It’s loud and all-in, but the lyrics are dark and regretful. Ironically, it forces the listener to slow down and appreciate the dichotomy between the words and the instrumentals.
“One More Song (Imposter Syndrome)” is a great one, shared by Egan in the aforementioned podcast. When asked if he deals with imposter syndrome, Egan remarks that, like any creative, he does feel pressure to make each song better than the last (“what if this is the last good song I ever write?”), but doesn’t necessarily deal with imposter syndrome as frequently anymore. The frontman jokes that it’s created a “needlessly morbid” joke within the band when touring with other artists – when they leave one another after a show, Egan parts with a vague promise to “hopefully” see them at the next one. It’s definitely a glimpse into the band’s dark humor that bleeds into their lyrics.
In particular, “Spit” hit close to home as an art major concerned with the rise of artificial intelligence. I find myself apprehensive about how it affects not only the job opportunities for me post-graduation but also the way that people view art merely as the end result rather than valuing the process. On TikTok (@heart_attack_man), Egan expressed his frustrations with AI being used in the music industry, particularly in the [hardcore] scene: “What is music without the creative process? At what point do words cease to mean anything? Is this the future and am I just a creative reactionary?” Having artists who go against the grain and stand up for human creativity is so important. It’s easy to be discouraged, but Spit’s catharsis certainly eases some tension (at least for me).
Something’s gotta give
Kill yourself to live
While you’re pushed away for fake intelligence
The world you’re living in will soon enough be faded into memory
Spit in the face of humanity
I was lucky enough to see Heart Attack Man open for Waterparks on the recently-wrapped Prowler tour, and even without knowing many of their songs at the time, the crowd was electric. They have such a kind bunch of fans that were ready to welcome me into the full Heart Attack Man experience. The band is back on tour with Phoneboy this spring, and tickets are on sale now!
EVERYONE’S A STAR! – 5 Seconds of Summer
36 min. | Pop-Rock | November 2025
EVERYONE’S A STAR! consists of 12 songs, spanning a wide range of moods and sounds that have clearly been cultivated through the rest of the band’s career (as well as the members’ solo work). There’s a great mix of upbeat (“Boyband”, “Evolve”) and slow songs (“Ghost”, “Jawbreaker”) that make the album feel well-rounded. It’s clearly been a long time in the works, full of love and life experience to pack a real emotional punch.
The band kicked off the new era with the release of “NOT OK” alongside a bold new neon-pink color scheme and graphics online and on social media. It’s bona-fide 5 Seconds of Summer pop-rock, studded with a buzzing bassline and an airheaded, hedonistic rockstar perspective, inviting the listener to “bite the apple”.
“I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again” is heartbreaking, dark, and emotional. It includes some spoken-word portions by bassist Calum Hood that would be right at home in his solo work (“ORDER chaos ORDER”). It has the same life of fame taste as the rest of the album, but it digs into feelings of regret, missed opportunities, and longing for one’s other half.
The rollout for this album was truly incredible, from pop up shows in LA to listening parties in record stores across the world. I attended one locally (at Space Monkey Records) and had so much fun hearing the album early and hanging out with other fans of the band.
As a physical media collector (and advocate), there were so many beautiful special editions of the album that it was hard to choose. I ended up purchasing the picture disc vinyl, and it looks beautiful on my turntable – it certainly proved its worth over winter break. The band member specific CDs each boasted a special bonus track, and I (unfortunately) wasn’t able to snag those… touchy subject, but the regular release CD is great regardless. The bonus tracks (“Start Over”, “Wishful Dreaming”, “Chest” and “I’ll Find You”) can be found on the deluxe “Fully Evolved” version. The digital-only deluxe edition (“Somebody’s Father btw”) includes a fifth bonus track aptly named “COOL DAD” in addition to the others. It’s a comedic track poking fun at lead vocalist Luke Hemmings’ and guitarist Michael Clifford’s newfound fatherhood, proving that they’re still “cool” despite this.
“Jawbreaker” was my favorite of the non-single tracks, “cinematic” (per drummer Ashton Irwin) and soaring, feeling much longer than its two-minute runtime in the best way. It’s layered with metaphors and emotional language, and Hemmings’ vocals feel like a desperate sob over the instrumentals and Hood’s backing vocals. It was positioned as the last track on the regular release, and Clifford remarks on the irony of its vulnerability in contrast with the starry rest of the album: “[“Jawbreaker”] drops the facade, a little bit, and just sort of lets you in.”
Oh, my American jawbreaker
Somethin’ from my TV screen
Oh, my, my honey, you’re a heart shaker
Swingin’ from the mezzanine
All this is to say that 5SOS isn’t dead – they’re back and better than ever. You can see them on the EVERYONE’S A STAR! World Tour this summer.
Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party – Hayley Williams
66 min. | Indie / Alt. Rock | August 2025
Hayley Williams isn’t new to the scene, but her recent solo album certainly left its mark. Originally released as a series of singles, Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party is chock-full of songs about relationships, femininity, personal identity, mental health and the music industry. The album has seen three “forms”: originally the track list did not include “Good Ol’ Days” (added in October’s release) or “Showbiz” (added in November). These two added tracks do appear on physical releases.
The title track includes a not-so-subtle dig (“I’ll be the biggest star / At this racist country singer’s bar”) at Morgan Wallen, who Williams later challenged in a New York Times podcast interview (“meet me at Whole Foods, b—”).
The album has incredible continuity in sound throughout, even with its wide range of topics and tones. It is distinctly Hayley Williams (which is not to say Paramore!), bouncy and light in some places, soft and sad in others, punchy and sarcastic in others still. “Discovery Channel” in particular stands out to me, taking the chorus from The Bloodhound Gang’s satirical, crass “The Bad Touch” and turning it into something so raw and vulnerable.
There’s something very fresh about Ego Death, and yet its subject matter is so familiar (especially to any young woman who’s ever struggled to make herself fit into the “right box”). It’s a beautiful thank-you note to self-love and recovery (quite literally in “Mirtazipine”’s case), to being oneself and finding the balance in who you are and who you want to be.
While I wasn’t front and center for this album’s release, I saw it from the sidelines. Williams’ fanbase is so passionate, and this kindness extends far into the world. I couldn’t make it to a listening party for Ego Death, but while I was traveling for Waterparks’ St. Petersburg show with a friend, we stopped into Dunedin’s D&J records to look around. We talked with one of the owners, and I was able to pick up not only the CD but also a spare tote bag and poster from the listening party that she wanted to make sure it went to a fan. It was such a touching gesture, and it felt so characteristic of Williams herself.
“Parachute” was the song that drew me into Ego Death. It’s a cathartic, regretful track about Williams’ previous marriage and her discomfort in it, how she had always felt there was something wrong even during her own wedding. A hypothetical (re: better) relationship runs parallel to the course of the disastrous relationship in the song, one that Williams presumably cannot go back to now and feels the effects of that opportunity gone by.
And you were at my wedding, I was broken, you were drunk
You could’ve told me not to do it, I would’ve run, I would’ve run
Tell me, what was the moment you decided to give up?
You could’ve told me what you wanted, I would’ve done, I would’ve done
Anything, I would’ve done anything
Williams is set to embark on the sold-out “Hayley Williams at a Bachelorette Party” tour from March until June. It is presented by her hair dye company Good Dye Young and will benefit The Ally Coalition, an organization benefitting LGBTQ+ youth.
Breach – Twenty-One Pilots
47 min. | Alt. Rock | September 2025
Twenty-One Pilots’ Breach is the conclusion to a 10+ yearlong narrative that began back in 2015’s Blurryface (arguably the album which shot the duo into the public eye). Tyler Joseph, the band’s frontman, clarified in a statement on the band’s social media accounts that the album’s opening track, “City Walls” (and especially its music video) is the true conclusion to the story, but that the rest of the tracks could (and did) play into that story.
Breach feels like a perfect companion album to 2023’s Clancy, but it also reaches back into the band’s career as a whole. “Downstairs” repurposes an unreleased 2011 instrumental known to fans as “Korea” and certainly sounds like it would be right at home on the band’s second album, Regional at Best. The album’s concluding track, “Intentions”, is built on “Truce” (Vessel, 2013)’s audio in reverse, containing similar themes of the cyclical nature of mental health (relapsing) and moving forward after “failing”.
Much like EVERYONE’S A STAR!, Breach had a wonderful album release. I was lucky enough to drag my little brother into the band’s music early enough for him to be excited about the listening party held at Atmosphere Records. We arrived early for a chance at one of the gorgeous picture disc vinyl designs and got the chance to chat with some other fans of the band while getting ready to hear the album a few days before its street date. (On the vinyl note, I am now the very proud owner of the RAWFEAR design, and I couldn’t be happier. The folks at Atmosphere are the absolute best!) It was so much fun to hear the albums’ commentary and learn about the album’s making.
“RAWFEAR” was poignant from the moment I heard it. During the commentary, Joseph mentioned that the squeals at the beginning of the track came from his daughters. It starts with a jarring line about the clicking sound that an empty gun makes (“Raw fear moves me / Sounds of empty Uzis”), a reminder that time doesn’t slow down no matter how scared we are of the future. Anxiety has always been a presence in my life, so it’s no surprise that “RAWFEAR” was an instant favorite, a reminder that even my favorite artists aren’t immune to pressure.
You know what scares me? Nah, it’s stupid
You’ve met my fears, they’re all regulars
Wait, who’s the new kid?
You know what kills me? Not getting stronger
And now I can’t seem to sit still any longer
Although I did feel that the rollout for the Breach tour was a bit rushed, I attended opening night in Cincinnati. After being a fan of the band for ten years and never being able to catch them live, it was absolutely everything I could have hoped for. From the floor to the nosebleeds, TQL Stadium was alive with die-hards and casual fans filling the sticky-hot air with sound. The band is not currently on tour but is playing a handful of festivals this summer and beyond, as well as having a concert film (Twenty-One Pilots: More Than We Ever Imagined) on the way.