Falling In Reverse New Album Review
Here’s my review of Popular Monster, the latest album by Falling In Reverse. They have finally done it. After nearly seven years since their last release, they’ve delivered what might just be their best work yet. Why “might”? Well, if you’re new to the band, there’s no debate – it’s an excellent album with plenty of cool music to enjoy. But for long-time fans, calling it “the best” might come with an asterisk. Let me explain why in a minute. In short:
Popular Monster album by Falling In Reverse is one of the best records by the band. It clearly captures the natural evolution of their sound, and once again showcases Ronnie Radke’s talent. The only thing that could have made it even better would be having more brand-new songs.
If you haven’t listened to it yet – you’re missing out on awesome music. I highly recommend checking it out.
“Popular Monster” Album Review
I’m not gonna waste your time with a long, typical boring album review, breaking down each song. Nah, there are already plenty of those online. I’ve never been a fan of such articles myself, and I’m guessing you aren’t either. Instead let’s cut to the chase:
The album is fantastic. From the start to finish, Popular Monster retains the same high energy and a fun vibe. Most of the songs in this record are bonafide bangers.
When you listen to it, the album feels like it flows in a single breath. There are no fillers or noticeably weak tracks. So the time flies by quickly, almost too fast. Which is a hallmark of solid music. To be fair though, the playtime is under 40 minutes, so it is a pretty short album.
Alright, let’s proceed to album’s strengths, and one critique that prevents me personally from giving it the highest grade.
The Best Thing About It
Not long ago I’ve made a list of Falling In Reverse TOP 10 Songs, what I consider to be their best hits. If you check that track-list, you’ll notice that three of those songs are from the Popular Monster album. I made the list before this album even came out.
Since then I’ve added one more song from Popular Monster – a cool track called “Bad Guy”. That means four songs from this album are now in my TOP 10 list. So it’s definitely a wonderful album, as it features one hit after another. The biggest song is a title track “Popular Monster”, of course.
Not only does the album deliver consistently great music through its entire playtime, but its best tracks also rank among the band’s greatest songs of all time. If you’re just discovering Falling In Reverse, you can’t wish for a better record. It’s a super-charged album that sounds incredible. I know plenty of people who love it, even if they’re not usually into Metalcore or Rap Metal.
But there’s a catch. If you’ve been following the band for the last five or so years, Popular Monster might leave you wishing for more. It’s that one critique that I mentioned earlier.
The Worst Thing About It
Out of eleven tracks featured in this album only 4 songs are truly new. The remaining seven have been already released by the band in previous years. You get what I’m saying? Maybe it’s just me, but when I get a new album by the band I like, I expect to hear mostly new music.
I want to be surprised and excited to hear something fresh. I want to relive the emotion of discovering an extraordinary song, moment, hook, into, or chorus. Whatever it is, I want it to be new. But with this release, there’s little room for excitement because it consists mostly of material we had enough time to get used to already. There are not enough new songs.
It doesn’t make the record bad, because the songs on their own are truly good. But when the last track if over, you’re kinda left with a feeling that it’s missing 3 or 4 songs.
TOP 3 Songs In The Album
With that said, the songs included in this album are outstanding. You have their most popular hit “Popular Monster”, a magnificent musical piece “Watch The World Burn,” there’s also a reimagined version of Papa Roach’s iconic “Last Resort“. And we also have a fabulous fresh banger like Bad Guy.
For me, the best three songs of the album are:
- “Popular Monster”
- “Last Resort Reimagined”
- “Bad Guy”
Here they are if you wanna listen to them right now:
“Popular Monster”
“Last Resort Reimagined”
“Bad Guy”
Conclusion
Overall, the album is a powerhouse. It has some of the greatest songs the band has ever written. Ronnie managed to pack this one with multiple certified hits, and I’m sure it will find a spot in many fans’ playlists.
The only drawback of Popular Monster is the lack of new songs, at least from the long-time fan perspective. Most of the tracks are already well-known, and we had enough time to listen to some of them for hundreds of times already. They are fantastic songs, but I can’t help but want more. We’ll see what Falling in Reverse releases in future. I just hope we won’t have to wait another 5 years for a new album.
If you’re looking for the latest news and tour dates by the band, check their official website.
