C'mon. You know for a fact that when Ray Hawthorne comes up, there are a lot of things that are coming your way, from crazy album titles to songs that sucker-punch you in the gut. Ever since he released his Heartbreak Feels Good in a Place Like This EP, I've found myself hooked and waiting patiently for new music. Hawthorne truly embodies what makes pop-punk so wonderfully chaotic, intense, raw, and real. When talking about his music, Hawthorne states:
So what I’m trying to say is, this collection of songs is kind of like that. I always feel like I have so much to say but often feel a bit too vulnerable when discussing my actual feelings. So for the majority of my life, I’ve just written them into songs instead. These songs can be quite vulnerable even if they seem silly at times.
The follow-up to 2024's Ray Hawthorne Sucks is getting ready to be released, and I am sure it will be nothing short of amazing. Yes, I am talking about Ray Hawthorne Isn't Real.
Straight out of the gates, the listener is bombarded by a refreshing sound of nostalgia that still sounds fresh and new. Those opening riffs of "Come Ruin My Life Real Quick" and "Giving a Duck" fill your ear and immediately make you reminisce about first discovering this type of music. This is exactly the type of sound that made me, and so many others, fall in love with bands like Blink-182, Sum 41, and Good Charlotte, among many more. It is a feeling of rawness, a feeling of vulnerability, and a feeling of truly saying exactly how you feel without fear of judgment. All these feelings are set to a catchy and upbeat tone while the lyrics rip at your heartstrings until you're unsure if you need a cry, a hug, or if you'll smile like everything is fine. Even the "slower" songs on the album leave you in a whirlwind of emotions you're not quite ready to process. Take "I Don't Hate You (The NaNa Song)" and "Real to You" and how they seem a bit slower and more on the emo side of pop-punk. They're not quite "slow," but damn if they don't hit you right in the feels.
As the album comes to a close, it almost gives the feeling of finishing a good, but emotion-heavy, book. "Melt Down" and "The Reel You" are absolutely the songs of summer and the type of songs that need to be screamed out of the car window on a nice drive. Somewhat anthemic for a stadium show, yet still intense enough for a nice club show. Hawthorne really did invite fans to laugh, rage, and sing along to the chaos with him on this journey. I don't think saying anything would do fans enough justice as letting them have that first listen. So, I'm begging you to listen to this album nonstop upon release. The only thing that will upset you is how there isn't enough hours in the day to listen to Ray Hawthorne Isn't Real.
