From the album title alone, it is evident that The Used are just as sincere in their art as they’ve always been over the last two decades. Nine albums deep into their career, the emo quartet have graced us with the blunt Toxic Positivity (Hassle Records). The record calls out the detrimental mindset of suppressing negative emotions, addressing how it worsens one’s mental health over time due to ignored bottled-up feelings.
The album kicks off with one of its strongest tracks, ‘The Worst I’ve Ever Been’. The chorus hits with that classic The Used punch and vocalist Bert McCracken sneering the simple yet effective lyric, “Don’t ask me for no fucking favors”. They go all out with a rampaging breakdown, all while maintaining the distinctive melodic verve that has made the band so memorable since their first releases.
My expectations started out fairly low for this album upon hearing lead single ‘Numb’, which falls flat in comparison to the rest. While the verses have an intriguing lyrical flow to contrast the soft piano line, the chorus and bridge are only driven by their repetition and a hook that doesn’t reach the bar The Used have set for themselves. As the first single, it’s clear this one was only included to tick the box for an easy crowd sing-along; it just misses the mark of being worthy of that much repetition without getting tiring.
Fortunately, none of the other tracks share this problem and each fulfills its own purposes on the record. The pop groove of ‘I Hate Everybody’ adds a surprising twist with instrumentals and finger-snapped beats that voices like Britney Spears would fit right into. However, once its tongue-in-cheek delivery clicks in the brain, it goes from sounding like a 2000s Top 40 hit to a typical The Used song – especially with the addition of McCracken’s manic laughter at the end.
The forthright ‘Headspace’ digs deep into McCracken’s mind, laying out his emotionally naked thought processes through melancholic pleads and frustrated chants. This one is not as predictable as it first presents itself, turbulently switching between the band’s heavier post-hardcore side and their lamenting emo side with a silvery-smooth synchronized guitar and bass melody thrown in the middle. ‘Cherry’, while mostly slow and half acoustic, includes more of this erratic temperament with its sudden breakdown drop.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a The Used record without some sardonic theatrical elements mixed in. The cynical ‘Dopamine’ compares a toxic relationship to taking drugs over a prancing circus beat, replicating the deluded “head in the clouds” high that comes with it. By the time we get to ‘Dancing With A Brick Wall’, the hysterical undertones in McCracken’s delivery become more prominent with harrowing falsettos, agonized screams, and frantic harmonies that turn into maniacal laughter – all accompanied by gleaming riffs and impending key shimmers.
Wrapping up the album, penultimate acoustic track ‘House Of Sand’ brings a new kind of irony with a lighthearted, innocent tone delivering the woeful lyrics. This seamlessly leads into the closer ‘Giving Up’, which, despite the rest of the record’s bleak pessimism, insists on pressing on with the repeated line “I’m not giving up on me”. The song rejects toxic positivity, acknowledging morbid ideations while still promoting any remaining glimmers of hope.
If one thing’s for sure, it’s that The Used haven’t lost the unique charm that makes any song of theirs instantly recognizable. The jeering accentuation of every hooky chorus still has that same captivating effect as many of their older classics, while the instrumentation sets the stage for the brilliantly executed lyrical monologues.
Buy the album here:
8 / 10
COLLEEN KANOWSKY