Slightly biased, it's realistically a 4, but this is the shift in sound they absolutely needed. Like Proper Dose by The Story So Far, this album may create a divide between fans of this band. Working with well-known pop punk producer Sam Pura really redefined them. This album has some of the most beautiful, most poppy, and most aggressive songs they've ever created (e.g., Bring Me Back to Life, Starting Over/Slow Down, Way Down respectively). As expected with most Dangerous Summer records, it's very lyrically dense. Very solid production, atmospheric synths and ambient guitar tones throughout, and the drums sound SUPER fresh. Some very risky songs (e.g., Better Light) and styles of instrumental approach. Many work out surprisingly well, and others are questionable. I feel like this whole record could be considered their Blink-182 Untitled, as the production style seems influenced by that (Virginia sounds like it could straight up be written by Blink). Some parts end up dragging for too long, and some choruses get a bit too repetitive later in the songs. But there are songs that are the typical Dangerous Summer sound, just with a fresher production (e.g., The Consequence of Living). Overall, a super dynamic record compared to their past discography.
4 Bumps | Bump |
