According to Google, the definition of Toxic Positivity is “the pressure to only display positive emotions, suppressing any negative emotions, feelings, reactions or experiences. ” That term has become a social norm in our society today; it’s absolutely sickening. Humans have been conditioned to ignore the truth of our feelings and pretend everything is okay to keep the status quo. So it is no surprise that The Used and John Feldman teamed together once again to produce an album and claimed to have fallen into it Toxic Positivity. 

With Feldman and The Used in the same studio together again, the only certain thing is that the Magic will be made. Feldman has produced a handful of their albums, ranging from their self-debut album The Used in 2001 to their most recent release in 2020 called Heartwork. He is the Peanut butter to the band’s jelly and has been for over the last 23 years. They have worked hand in hand and produced hits like “The Bird and the Worm,” “I Caught Fire,” “Take it Away,” and many more. The Synergy between them is like no other I have ever encountered. Feldman is an essential keystone in the success and career of The Used, and how they create is so fluid and utterly Sympatico.

If you know anything about The Used, you know they like to push boundaries and speak their truth no matter how harsh it may come out or whom it may piss off. The band has used their career to express their most vulnerable moments and intimate Traumas they have been through and transmute them into a work of artistry. It reminds the rest of the world and their fans that nobody is alone. Toxic Positivity is no exception to this formula that the boys have used for the last 23 years with how they write music. This album showcases Frontman Bert Mccracken‘s “most sincere words he has ever written,” focusing on mental health and well-being over the last few years. On the coattails of the pandemic, Toxic Positivity claims to act as an outlet for The Used and express all of the struggles that have internally been going on for the last three years, which is a direct result of living in this weird hell that has become a life in a Pandemonium era. 

This album keeps the integrity of everything that makes a Used album great. It plays as if someone took a bite of the sound from each album, remixed it, and decided to call it Toxic Positivity. The 11-track album pulls you in immediately; the first track, “Worst I’ve Ever Been,” kicks off with the old sounds of heavy drums and guitar. Bert even returned to his roots of screaming for a portion of this song. My two favorite songs off this album are “Pinky Swear” and “Top of the World,” which couldn’t be more opposite. If you’re looking for that OG sound from The Used, look no further; the song is filled with heavy riffs, drums, and tons of screaming. Part of the chorus is “Save me, I need to know what it feels like before I fade away, “it almost sounds like it could belong on their second album, Maybe Memories, with how it all flows together. The second song that was a pleasant surprise for me was “Top of the World,” As an avid listener; I was initially unsure. It starts with their signature drum sound and transitions into a light pop esq. I don’t know if it was the lyrics or just how catchy the hook is, but I can’t stop playing the song. Toxic Positivity is an album that directly explains the aftershock of Covid-19 and what they went through. In this deeply personal album, The Used shines a beacon of light with their raw gut-punching lyrics that you are, in fact, not alone in this vast universe. I highly suggest you take it for a spin.

The Used

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We Came As Romans (WCAR) has certainly come a long way since their humble beginnings on July 19th, 2005.  Since then, they have released two EPs and three full length albums. Their most recent album, Tracing Back Roots, was released on July 23rd of this year through Equal Vision Records while the band was touring on Vans Warped Tour (Australian and UK/European legs).  They also played shows with Parkway Drive in Europe and at the Bazooka Rocks Festival in the Philippines.  Remarkably, the band debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200, selling 26,500 copies within the first week alone.

Traditionally, this band has displayed an extremely hard metalcore sound, causing palpitations as the music courses through the very soul and reverberates in one’s bones.  It was veracious and vicious and ferocious.  However, for this album, the band decided to shift gears and provide fans with something new, which greatly displayed their flexibility.  Members, David Stephens (unclean vocals and clean vocals), Joshua Moore (lead guitar), Lou Cotton (rhythm guitar), Kyle Pavone (keyboards and clean vocals), Andy Glass (bass), and Eric Choi (drums) collaborated with John Feldmann and recorded the album over seven weeks during March and April of 2013.  Although they were scared of taking a risk and going in that direction, once they mentioned it, Feldmann would not let them back down.  There, they formulated a new sound for the band with a cleaner and more melodic sound infused with more clean vocals.  However, deep underneath, one can still hear the metalcore influences and undertones.

Despite going outside of their comfort zone, the band feels strongly that this shift was a good choice. Joshua Moore, WCAR’s lyricist and guitarist says, “I’d like to think our newest release can really appeal to more ears, outside the genre of metalcore and tons of breakdowns.  But I think it still has that heavy edge to it, that might set it apart from some radio rock bands.”

Rightfully so.  Taking a risk and deviating from their normal has allowed them to further grow as a band.  Songs that stand out and that Moore particularly favors include track 3, “I Survive” and track 4, “Ghosts.”  Both songs are the epitomes of an amalgam of a melodic and heavier side, with both sides bringing out the best in the other.  It seems that working with Feldmann paid off as he was the one who initially got the band to think outside of the genre.  Furthermore, Moore says that Feldmann gave him a new perspective on writing.

Moore also states that “we’ve grown as individuals, musicians, and as a band over the years, we have never changed the meaning behind what our band is and. if anything, on this record we found greater meaning and purpose in the message we are trying to send to listeners.”  Exactly, what is the message in this album?  It’s actually quite positive.  For some people, metalcore is associated with negative messages, but that is actually not the case with WCAR.  In fact, throughout the album, the songs highlight a message encouraging listeners to go out in the world and do something positive with your life- in other words, to lead a life of purpose. Just listen to “Hope”, the first single off of the album, which was released on January 4th, 2013.  There are truly some heartfelt and meaningful lines in every song.

“Stand up,

You have a voice to be heard

You’re worth more than words

So let your fire burn.”

– Hope

(photo credit Douglas Sonders)

Moore, who is responsible for writing these engaging lyrics, is inspired by everyday life.  His attitude is that if the lyrics are not important to him, then why should he expect it to be important to others?  When they were in the recording process, sometimes the music was written first and then the vocal melodies and rhythms were added to the music with John Feldmann’s help.  Other times, the lyrics were written first and then a melody added to it.  There was no set recording process, which is why each song is unique.  Each song sounds different. The amount of meticulous care the band took in recording the songs and establishing different grounds for every song showcases the band’s desire and capability of breaking the mold for metalcore.

The public has responded positively to the album for a variety of reasons.  Overall, the album casts out a wider net reeling in a wider audience.  There are some songs with all singing, a few with just a couple lines of screaming, and some that are a majority screaming.  The band worked very hard to cover all the bases to keep their current fans happy, all the while trying to appeal to new fans.  In all honesty, the new record effectively portrays and combines all the best elements of what WCAR has done in the past, all their strengths are shown raw in this album.  In Moore’s perspective, the best elements are considered to be the electronic elements of To Plant a Seed, as well as some of the breakdown styles (strings over rhythm).  Then they took the cleaner sides of Understanding What We’ve Grown to Be with clean guitar and piano and added it in.  The softer sides originating from the previous album melded well with the new melodic side of We Came as Romans in addition to Dave Stephens’ singing.

That’s another new aspect of this album, in which Dave Stephens (who used to only concentrate on unclean vocals prior) is now able to showcase his voice in a new light.  He tries clean vocals for the first time, proving to the world that he is capable of rich melodic tones and gritty textures.  This is a wonderful addition to Kyle Pavone’s softer croons.  Although, this is considered the first time Stephens does clean singing officially, he actually started out playing guitar and singing in the band eight years ago but had moved to just screaming.  This characteristic of this album proves to be quite refreshing  “It’s good to have him back singing, and I think he it’s a great contrast to Kyle,” comments Moore.

Overall, the band has made remarkable improvement in the maturity of their sound even if a few songs are forgettable.  Considering the risk that they took, Tracing Back Roots is a solid album that offers a wide variety for the audience. If you want to learn more about this band, visit their website.  The band is also currently headlining a US tour in which they appear with bands such as Silverstein and The Color Morale.  They will be in Philadelphia at the Electric Factory on October 30th.