"If listeners are ever feeling alone, hopeless, or in need of a pick-me-up, this record will provide a message with powerful, meaningful lyrics that things are okay."
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Awesome
By Bruna Cucolo
Recommended songs: “mars,” “love song,” and “acting like that “feat. Machine Gun Kelly)”
Sometimes a little reminder that no one is alone when it comes to their struggles is needed. In the new album weird!, singer/songwriter YUNGBLUD provides that reminder throughout the entirety of his record. weird! is composed of a slightly different style than his previous work on 21st Century Liability, offering a more punk twist when it comes to its sound. The 13-track album, also featuring Machine Gun Kelly in one of the songs, consists of powerful lyrics about different topics, all of which listeners may relate to in some way.
It begins with an opening that sounds like the start of a concert where a spotlight might shine on center stage and a mystifying feeling comes over the crowd as they wait for the big show. “teresa” builds up in the chorus and by the time the second verse begins, the listener has begun to experience excitement inside, ready for what the album has to bring. This song about YUNGBLUD and his fanbase looking out for each other is a great first track as it prepares listeners for the personal narratives that are in store.
By the time the first song is over, “cotton candy” fills the listener’s ears with a more upbeat sound. As a more pop rock tune, the singer expresses sexuality and sings “I’m losing myself in you,” describing how he wants to let go of himself with another person. This song’s catchy beat and honest lyrics help fans understand that sex and sexuality is okay to talk about.
Some songs later is “love song,” an acoustic track about YUNGBLUD’s view of love. Listeners will begin to feel warm inside from the relatable lyrics that reveal how the person he caught feelings for changed how he thinks about love and himself. “Sweetheart, you are changing my mind” clearly states what the song is all about. What makes “love song” unique along with its message is the chorus which sounds like it could almost belong in a fairytale. Maybe this song can change some fans’ minds about love, too.
The album-titled track “weird!” is the song listeners will likely relate to the most. The telling of the singer’s own struggles describes what some may also be going through, ultimately helping them feel less alone. Sounding almost like a song off of a video game, the fast background beat will instantly make listeners move around in their bedrooms.
Ending with the longest tune of the album, “the freak show” is made up of different musical parts between the verses, choruses and even bridge. YUNGBLUD imitates a sort of “Bohemian Rhapsody” style with the different sections. As a message to his fans, he sings with the most powerful vocals from the album in the last line, “Times will change and you might break but I will spend my life believing in you.” There is no doubt that YUNGBLUD cares about his fans especially after listening to weird!.
Whether he sings about his personal experiences or events others have gone through, he lets the lyrics tell messages that fans can instantly connect to. He gives his all on this album and it can be heard in his vocals. weird! combines pop rock, punk, and acoustic feels to give variety in the songs, causing listeners to never get bored of what they are hearing. If listeners are ever feeling alone, hopeless, or in need of a pick-me-up, this record will provide a message with powerful, meaningful lyrics that things are okay.
