For many of us over the past couple of years, rage, chaos, anxiety, and an overall unsettling feeling have been chronic aspects of our lives, whether at the forefront socially and politically, or in the back of our minds during the daily grind of life. The sort of energy and disquiet that can feel both buried and utterly boiled to the surface at the same time. We're living in an era where it feels as if one "once in a lifetime" event occurs every other week across the globe as we go about our mundane routines and daily tasks. It's an off-putting feeling, and one that forces us to hold a lot of contradictory thoughts and feelings in our minds.
This frenetic energy and disjointed headspace is evident across post-hardcore act Better Lovers' debut album Highly Irresponsible. The band, consisting of Jordan Buckley (guitar), Clayton "Goose" Holyoak (drums), Stephen Micciche (bass), Greg Puciato (vocals), and Will Putney (guitar/producer) are no strangers to relentless, punishing riffs and hardcore sensibilities. Buckley, Micciche, and Holyoak have been decades-long partners in crime in Every Time I Die, having released nine studio albums in their tenure, while Puciato's notoriety comes from legendary mathcore act The Dillinger Escape Plan, known for their kinetic energy, push-and-pull songwriting process, and genre-bending approach to instrumentation and vocal delivery. Will Putney's universally-lauded and now award-winning production and mixing chops, as well as his previous work in deathcore act Fit For An Autopsy and metal supergroup End rounds out the band. The group exploded onto the scene in April 2023 with their debut single, "30 under 13," followed by the four-track EP God Made Me An Animal in July of that same year. The EP was a welcome return to form of fans of both Every Time I Die and Puciato's era of Dillinger Escape Plan, without really ever feeling like it was pulling remnants from either, rather creating something refreshing and new, capturing the powerful aggression and controlled chaos that people have come to expect from all participants.
Highly Irresponsible opens with "Lie Between the Lines," which begins with a chorus-laden clean guitar tone reminiscent of The Black Album before immediately setting a groove-laden, panic-inducing vibe. The opening lines set the message for what is a heavy hitting record emotionally, with Puciato singing "So am I where I'm supposed to be?/See you pressed about the way that I've gone/ Some would rather see you die than be free/ But the killer is me/ And the night lives alongside the dawn," and closing with "We're not meant to die with the inside unknown." This leads straight into "Your Misplaced Self," a furious 90-second track that's likely to ignite mosh pits at live shows.
As you move through songs like "A White Horse Covered in Blood," you get hints of melodic moments amidst the aggression, showcasing the band's ability to balance melody with heaviness, particularly through Greg Puciato's versatile vocals alongside Putney and Buckley's razor-sharp riffs. Tracks like "Future Myopia" and "Drowning in a Burning World" keep the intensity kicked to an 11, with technical, crushing guitar work and stank face-inducing breakdowns. The album doesn't solely focus on chaos, though. "Deliver Us From Life" offers a very Alice In Chains-influenced grunge-infused breather, with Puciato delivering some very Layne Staley-like vocals and lyrics ("Cover up the claws/ You know your aggression never cease/ You'll chew them into a million pieces/ Deliver me from life that's what you do/ You're taking on all forms but I see through") showing their ability to slow things down while still maintaining a weighty atmosphere.
While Highly Irresponsible thrives on its raw energy and brutality, the standout moments are the experimental ventures that expand beyond hardcore norms, blending influences from industrial, post-rock, and even 90s grunge. This diversity elevates tracks like "At All Times" and the album’s closing anthem, "Love As An Act Of Rebellion," into more thoughtful, emotionally-charged realms while still delivering relentless, high-energy moments. The album drips with aggression, but manages to deliver a disparaging, thoughtful, and emotional calamity throughout the ebb and flow of the record, as the songs wade through philosophical perspectives on defeatism, nihilism, mental health spirals, and unmitigated rage. The lyrical depth and bleakness of these tracks are well-balanced by the technical mastery of the band, ensuring that fans who feared the end of the members' most chaotic heydays will find comfort in this album's intensity
To clear the air, Better Lovers is not a nu metal act, but their genre-blending, raw delivery, and general disregard for fitting into a specific sound in favor of pushing the boundaries in whatever the hell direction they feel like gives them the Nu Metal Agenda stamp of approval. Overall, Highly Irresponsible is a potent debut, fusing the members' previous band experiences into something both familiar and fresh. Whether you're a fan of technical aggression or melodic breakdowns, this album delivers on all fronts. It promises to cement the band's reputation and leave listeners eager for more.
