Words by Emily Hollitt
Yours Truly are a name any lover of pop punk should know by now. After touring staples of the genre, You Me At Six and Neck Deep as well as appearing on the line-up of Tony Hawk’s THPS25 earlier this year, the group have solidified their place in the subculture, and for good reason. With guitar tones straight out of Paramore’s ‘Riot!’ album, punchy, powerhouse vocals, memorable hooks and emotional lyrics, the Sydney trio take the best parts of the genre and make it uniquely their own. With a soundscape that makes you want to grow out your side swept bangs and rip holes in your skinny jeans, the band take the nostalgic early 2000s sound and give it a modern edge.
This week, the band return with their magnum opus; new album ‘TOXIC’. The record is a touching look at human emotion. Penned mostly by lead vocalist Mikaila Delgado, the album outlines her thoughts and feelings as she navigates a personal crisis. In essence, the album touches on every step of the 5 stages of grief; a live look into her mind as she processes her thoughts and feelings. In just 10 tracks and a 28-minute run-time, you feel as if you’ve gone on this entire emotional journey with her. Backed by expert lead guitarist Teddie Winder-Haron and drummer—and newest member of the group—Henry Beard, her stories are elevated beautifully in each and every track.
Back 2 U opens the record, with crunchy guitars, instantly pulling the listener in. The same way Careful opened Paramore’s ‘Brand New Eyes’, this track sets the tone for the record and then some, opening the album on a high. With expertly crafted vocal and guitar layers, the track sounds like it could nestle comfortably into the Scott Pilgrim or Twilight soundtracks. Sour is sonically a lot darker than opening track. Heavily overdriven guitars compliment Delgado’s voice brilliantly. Her voice grows more powerful in each chorus, delivering each line with the perfect amount of punch. “You want another part of me. Which one do I get to keep? Chew me up and spit me out. Like the taste, I’m going sour” she repeats.
“Went all the way to your house to sit on your couch, smoke flowing out your mouth” sings Delgado in California Sober. “Is my company not enough?” she repeats, self-consciously analysing her friendships. With a much sadder sound than the preceding tracks, California Sober nestles in nicely to the track list, a starkly vulnerable yet immensely relatable song. The bassline stands out in catchy, yet emotional track Let Go. “You don’t know me anymore; I should’ve let it all go… but I can’t let go” she sings. Sampled vocals open the track repeating “I should’ve let go”, contrasted by the sombre isolated vocals repeating the same lines at the end, capturing the myriads of emotions felt when choosing to leave a relationship that is no longer serving you.
The theme of vulnerability continues with Everything I’m Not. Flowing on perfectly from the last track, the song outlines a partner cheating. “Said she was just a friend, but we know you pretend, wishing I was her instead. I guess that she’s all that I’m not”. She sings frantically, perfectly capturing the mess of emotions felt when in this position. Constantly returning to the idea of lack of closure, the track is an all-too-relatable snapshot of being deceived by a partner. Delicately finger-picked guitars and fast paced drums play through Love Feels Like. Flowing on perfectly from the previous track, the song outlines the desire to love and be loved, especially after a heartache, when your perception of love has been skewed. “I wanna know what love feels like… I want to feel it even just for the night”.
“You are the scar and the owner of the weapon. You held my heart like you’re teaching me a lesson” opens Delgado in Bloodshot Eyes. Seemingly continuing the narrative of the last few songs, she transfers her sadness into anger at how she was treated. “And I’d never wish you well, I only wish you hell” she repeats in each pre-chorus. The guitars grow heavier and the drums slow down to a half-time beat in each chorus, forcing the listener to focus the lyrics. “I see right through your bloodshot eyes” she sings, her anger seeping through her vocals. Sinking is the most candid look at Delgado’s mental health on the record, outlining her lowest points. “If I attract what I deserve, then why does it always need to hurt?” she poses as she navigates her grief and sadness. “And I don’t know what it means when you show up in my dreams” she repeats in the chorus. The track features local metalcore band Bloom; with music that focuses on “grief, love and exile”, the group where the perfect collaborators for the emotional track. Jono Hawkey’s gutturals and vocal layers compliment Delgado’s beautifully. “I don’t care much for it anyways; always knew you’d never change” opens Delgado in Desaturated. The song is much more energetic and upbeat than previous tracks, reclaiming her anger and sadness and using it to move in. “You’re so fake, you’d burn like plastic. Think you’re perfect and I’m so over it” she chants in the pre-chorus, adding an almost camp, very early 2000s element to the track. “I wish I never met you” she repeats as the song ends.
Closing track Call My Name is ‘TOXIC’ personified. Detailing the internalised self-blame and hope we place on a person when trying to detach from someone you love who is clearly no good for you. “Are you with me when I’m dreaming? Or is it just my make-believing in someone you can never be when I’m awake…?” she sings in the second verse, depicting the way she craves the person she thought she loved before they showed their true colours. “You know we could take 7 years to regenerate when we go our separate ways. I don’t believe we’ll ever change. You’ll still be you. I’ll stay the same”. She sings in the bridge, outlining how deeply her addiction to this person runs; she feels she’ll stay attached to them, even after all her cells have regenerated.
So, do yourself a favour, pop on your favourite pair of Converse and wired headphones, and engulf yourself in the world of Yours Truly painted with ‘TOXIC’.
With thanks to Dallas Does PR
