final thoughts #Heartwork :

paradise lost — the used has always had great openers, but this is fucking next level! probably my fave opener since the ripper. awesome post grunge vibes. loaded lyrics + cryptic metaphors + the quiet/loud formula = one of the best openings since

smells like teen spirit

blow me — i was obsessed with this song as soon as i heard it! definite box full of sharp object vibes. i’ve always enjoyed their songs that explore the idea of the consequences behind actions. to me that’s a concept they explore better than other bands

and leads to some of their best tracks (ABFOSO, hospital, blood on my hands)

big, wanna be — this one definitely sounds like it could fit in on lies for the liars. also get some FOB vibes. i can relate to feeling disillusioned with society & how we play into social media

bloody nose — another track that takes me back to their debut. you could slip this in right between say days ago & poetic tragedy without skipping a beat, but it still sounds 2020 af. i know bert is sober now, but this sounds like it could be about the fallout from addiction;

should go down as a screamo anthem. i wanna hear this live so bad.

wow, i hate this song — this is where shit gets interesting! i’ve always appreciated the different musical influences they try to incorporate. WIHTS could totally go into a tim burton film lol better yet

this would totally fit imaginary enemy too! relatable without being annoying, cheeky without gatekeeping, + the chorus reminds why i fell in love with bert’s voice in the first place

my cocoon — bert mccracken: angelic bb. father. lyricist. poet. scholar. gorgeous interlude.

cathedral bell — another song i fell in love with right off the bat. literally sums up every goddamn thing i’ve felt during this lockdown “i’m stuck in a box with no room to stretch. alone w/my thoughts so what happens next?” are you serious?!

anyone else get 80s MJ thriller (and smooth criminal) vibes from cathedral bell? the pop sounds, the creepy lyrics, etc?! no? just me? ok

1984 — 1984 is my favorite book of all time, so no wonder this is one of my top tracks. this my may be one of the most loaded tracks here

from the interesting p!atd vibes, to the throwback to imaginary enemy to the (not so) subtle mcr reference i love everything about this song. another reference to becoming complacent/disillusioned with social media and the politics in art 12/10 i’m obsessed

gravity’s rainbow — this is another song that gives me early panic/in love & death vibes then explodes. bert’s vocals on this kinda remind me of the background vocals he did on mcr’s “you know what they do to guys like us in prison”. his voice is honestly angelic.

love the colorful (no pun intended pinky swear) lyrics. i think this is one of the more imaginative songs on the album and really showcases bert’s knack for songwriting. this would fit in quite nicely on artwork. a goddamn bop & an anthem. inject this in my mf veins

clean cut heals — MOTHERFUCKER ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! this song is perfection personified. the end. the bass, the production, the lyrics, fuck me up. @WeAreTheUsed have always incorporated elements of pop as far back as IL&D. they lean in to these elements w/o selling out

this was risky risky but goddamn does it work. in a world where genres are melding together more than ever this has huuuggggee crossover appeal and i’m fucking obsessed!

heartwork — another almost-interlude. think beginning of “i’m a fake”. bert is a beautiful poet and a beautiful human and i love him with my whole heart

the lighthouse — still obsessed with jepha’s bass playing and bert’s vocals. mark adds nicely to this track as well.

the production on this one isn’t my fave, and overall this seems more like a blink track than something that would fit on a used record. that being said, it’s still amazing, and the instrumentation saves it for me.

obvious blasé — this is like “a taste of ink” sister song & transports me right back to middle school when i first fell in love with this band. and chorus is so good and travis’s drumming is instantly recognizable but still feels authentic to the band

it actually kinda reminds me of their early days when branden was still with them. and the subtle strings and keyboard? i am liiiiivvving!

the lottery — another banger. please don’t hurt me. this seems so innovative yet true to the band’s sound. ngl, i wouldn’t mind more collabs

with caleb shore.

darkness bleeds, fotf — i need this live right meow! this song makes me want to jump around in somebody’s pit. i hear some linkin park, i hear some marilyn manson (mob scene) and overall it’s just sooo good

to feel something — the perfect closer to an incredible album. struggling with identity, going through depression, trying to conjure up emotion in a society that almost forces you to suppress it. the lyrics really grab you, and bert’s voice is full of emotion

and bert’s scream i never would’ve imagined a comeback.

overall: 8.7/10 definitely their most cohesive project to date and the perfect album to usher them into the new decade