Album Review: Yours Truly - Toxic

In the midst of a depressing year, the last thing I need is to have another promising band come out and disappoint me. Yours Truly is one of the brightest young bands out there, having won Album Of The Year from me with their first full-length. I adore "Self Care", and consider it an integral part of my own, well, self care. That record was a trip through the therapeutic process, an example of finding hope in the darkest of times. That was a theme that carried through several years of albums I found myself loving the most, but I don't think anyone did it better than Yours Truly. With that record and their EPs, they had put themselves at the top of ladder of new bands.

That was dampened a bit with their most recent EP, which showed the band going in more modern directions, and with less of that silver lining poking through. Those songs didn't have the same warm embrace, the same way of making me feel like things could indeed get better one day.

Their second full-length continues in that style, with more modern heaviness, and less of the sweet and shimmering melody of their earlier work. Times are tough, and I get that sometimes venting isn't going to sound pretty. They are dealing more with the anger and frustration of life throwing obstacles in their way, while my bent is more in the way of depression that needs a light to shine for me to find my way back. So while this record might be more aggressive, that is a less inviting sound if you do not share their mindset.

Mikaila still belts her way through the songs with her usual flair for hooks. Her sharp tone lets them cut deeper, which is necessary here, because those hooks are out for blood, rather than keeping us close. That results in an album which goes all-out, and never concerns itself with whether we are able to catch our breath and keep up. If you say they fall under the umbrella of pop-punk, this record is more 40-60 pop to punk, while "Self Care" was the inverse.

The other glaring thing about this record is that it clocks in at only 28 minutes. We're in that uncanny valley where it's difficult to tell if we're listening to an album or an EP. The distinction doesn't only matter to those of us who obsess over categorization, it makes a difference in how satisfying this record is. If this is a long EP, it delivers a solid amount of good songs to make it a fun time. If it's an album, though, I find myself wanting more. Less than half an hour is barely enough time to get fully immersed in their sound, and it does feel a bit incomplete. Weezer got away with it on "The Green Album", but that was almost a curiosity, and it was a record so stuffed with pop hooks that listening to it back-to-back was easy. Yours Truly doesn't quite fit that bill.

So this is where I have to make sure I'm being clear about my feelings. "Toxic" is a good album, full stop. Yours Truly always write good songs, and that is no exception here.

Being good isn't always enough, though. My expectations for Yours Truly are immensely high, and that is why I'm saying this album is disappointing. Knowing how good they can be, and have been, this doesn't reach those same heights. If "Self Care" didn't exist, or if this record had two more songs on it to feel a bit more complete, I'm sure I would be less critical.

When you expect another Album Of The Year contender, and you get an album that is more likely to compete for the last spots on the list, it's easy to get hung up on the disappointment. I'm still going to be listening to "Toxic" plenty, and perhaps it will grow on me enough to overcome my expectations. I'm going to give it more chances, and you should too. Yours Truly deserves the benefit of the doubt.