The Used will drop their eighth full-length studio album Heartwork this Friday, April 24th via Big Noise Records. The band released several singles from the record already, one of which featured Jason Aalon Butler of Fever 333. You can pre-save the record here and check out the music video for “Blow Me” right here on All Punked Up!
The Used worked with John Feldmann to produce Heartwork. Feldmann helped the band seamlessly create a diverse, yet signature record. Frontman Bert McCracken shared about the recording process in a recent press release.
“Standing in the streaming circle pit with Kesha and Halsey, the album is just as modern sounding. John Feldmann’s production is that professional. It sounds really good. Those are two really random examples, but I think if you listen to both of those records, the songs are all over the place: dance, pop, actual punk rock riffs and drums. I think music is so all over the place right now that The Used fits in perfectly.”
All Punked Up got an exclusive listen of Heartwork. Check out our thoughts below!
Heartwork is everything The Used is as well as everything modern rock is.
After being together for almost twenty years, The Used has established a clear, unique sound that defines their band. This album is founded in The Used’s iconic sound but utilizes many elements of modern rock, as well as features other artists, to create something fresh and new. The sixteen-track record contains four tracks with featured artists, including Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker of Blink-182.
Heartwork spans the entire genre, from heavier rock to pop-rock to electronic rock and everything in between. The Used has the entire spectrum covered. The song “Heartwork” is about a minute long and is a beautiful spoken-word piece about kindness backed by soft pop sounds. “BIG, WANNA BE” is an anthemic, pop-rock jam. “Bloody Nose” incorporates early 2000s emo-rock sounds with modern pop-punk to create a headbanging bop. “Cathedral Bell” is a poppy song that makes me want to dance and vibe. “Obvious Blasé” lets The Used’s emo-punk beast out. “The Lottery” opens up with a heavy punk riff that makes me want to mosh. “To Feel Something” is a pop-rock masterpiece featuring a dope drop towards the end of the song (this track totally deserved to be a single in my opinion). Some songs incorporate unique string instruments and electronic sounds on top of the classic band sound. Other songs possess that raw rock sound that The Used has had mastered for years.
Without a doubt, this record is very diverse. Heartwork shows that The Used can stick to their roots while also creating relevant music that can lead and define the rock genre. Each song is so unique from the next and showcases The Used’s widespread talent.
Be sure to follow The Used on social media and check out Heartwork Friday!
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