Yesterday, April 24, 2020 The Used released their eighth studio album, Heartwork. Prior to the release, there's been three different singles, along with a handful of marketing that was reminiscent of tarot cards. It all started with the first single, "Blow Me"which was released December 5 of last year. Which is not actually about what you'd expect, given the name. It honestly brings up suicide awareness, and offers a few new elements to The Used's sound. Including a new screaming style, that admittedly I was a bit torn on upon the first couple listens. It grew on me eventually though.
The Used is constantly growing and evolving their sound. Somehow with each album, they still feel like themselves but still slightly different. This particular album had a lot of depth, and frankly had a few songs that felt somewhat topical for the world we live in today. Some of which they weren't even aware of at the time of writing and recording this album. This is definitely one of those albums that requires more than one listen to to fully appreciate it, and to really get a good feel for it. Right off the bat though, I have to say I really like the sound they've created for this album. It feels oddly kind of calm for the most part. Like something you can turn on and just vibe to, as most of the internet seems to say these days. That being said, it still has its moments of getting you to nod, borderline headbang to it, because come on, its still The Used. That's a must with them. Anyone who's followed their music for any period of time knows that. As with every album, a handful of songs really stood out to me. My favorite was probably "Bloody Nose", as its one of those songs that you turn on when shit is hitting the fan, but you're still persevering regardless of the circumstances. Despite that though, you do still have your moments of weakness where you're questioning if maybe you deserve what's being thrown at you. Maybe its karma. Chances are its not life punishing you, but the thought has passed through almost everyone's mind at some point. Another song that I really wanted to highlight was, "Wow, I Hate This Song", because first of all, the title made me laugh. Prior to listening to it, I pictured Bert McCracken writing an untitled song, looking at it, stating that he hated the song, and then proceeding to write it on the page. And then someone took him seriously. After listening to it, I realized that was absolutely not the case, but it was still an amusing mental image for me. The song actually is more about life, but comparing it to an annoying song on the radio that somehow still gets stuck in your head. As someone who finds a way to connect music to literally every aspect of my life, I greatly appreciated this song. Especially the, "Holy fuck, I hate this song." sentiment. Its very genuine, and we've all felt that before. Congratulations are in order for The Used for making yet another wonderful album, I respect it and will keep listening to it to see how much it grows on me. Who knows, it might just become my next favorite thing. We shall see. For anyone interested, you can listen to Heartwork basically wherever music is available. Amazon, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, Pandora, you know the drill with all that good stuff. Head on over to your favorite one and their official website to see all their merch that's currently available. It is also worth mention that The Used is also doing something very special right now, just to shed some light on those making a difference in this incredibly difficult time. They are putting together a music video for "The Lighthouse",which is a track I did not bring up in this review. They are asking fans to submit videos of doctors, nurses, grocery workers. Anyone who's putting their lives on the line right now for everyone. You can only do this until April 28, so get your videos submitted now before its too late. You can do this through Google Docs, just click here for the form and further information. Stay safe, everyone! We'll get through this.
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InformationAll reviews have the date they were written, the album title, and the band's name, with the exception of Life Starts Now by Three Days Grace and Dear Agony by Breaking Benjamin. Those dates were guessed at, as they were written well before the website began. Archives
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