Broken Boy is a straightforward rock track that explores feeling like a “Broken Boy” since birth. Instrumentally, it feels devoid and the production is humdrum — as well as the compositions and lyrics. The vocals, as well as the annoying distortion added to them, are probably the worst part of this cut.

Mid-High 5.

Social Cues embraces a simpler production and makes a surprisingly enjoyable track that is more pop than rock-oriented. The lyrics are also surprising in the way that they tackle the topic of fame; namely, the struggles and misunderstandings of it — a choice that had the potential to be derivative and boilerplate, but actually ends up coming across as well-written and original.

Mid-High 7.

Black Madonna is another middle-of-the-road track that seems to touch on infidelity and the sadness that that entails. The instrumental is rather enjoyable, especially for the memorable chorus. Other than this, however, it’s an uninspired and laid-bad rock cut.

Low-Mid 6.

Night Running sees Matt Shultz and Beck at their worst, both lyrically and in how boring the track is in nearly every aspect. The lyrics seem to be about a night out; especially, a road trip taken in an escapist response to the problems of life. All in all, the songwriting, along with the bassy production and irritating vocal performances, are not all that great.

Low 5.

Skin and Bones falls on the more evocative side of lyricism, delivering a message that could even be called empowering of how at the end of the day all we have is ourselves. This also applies to the compositional side of things, which leans towards a more pop-centric production once again, something that makes for a memorable cut with a hook that’s rather catchy.

Mid-High 7.

Ready to Let Go is the song that alludes the most to Matt Shultz’s divorce. It uses the Pompeii eruption and a lot of references to fire and ashes to paint a picture of his dead relationship. It, however, has an overall atmosphere of positivity in the face of it. Despite the hard-to-swallow topic, the songwriting remains a bit drab and uninspired. On top of this, the production is rudimentary and devoid but still manages to remain quite likeable due to Matt Shultz’s vocal performance, and because of a hook that’s honestly commendable.

Mid-High 7.

House of Glass is a wholly unprecedented and fantastic track. From the grim production and euphoric guitar tones during the solo, to the bleak lyrics detailing the darker side of a failing relationship —along with allusions to drug abuse— this track hits like a truck.

Mid 8.

Love’s the Only Way contains saddening, melancholic, and evocative lyrics speaking of feeling lost, and attempting to find solace and belonging in love. Sadly, this is not done justice from a musical side, as the production is humdrum, and the performances and compositions are uninspired. Although this isn’t the case for the verses that still manage to be endearing, the chorus does disappoint considerably — especially with its grating main melody.

Low 7.

The War Is Over: here, the lyrics are slightly cheesy at times but are mostly a pretty great urging for us to continue to consider love as indispensable, even in the face of a painfully undone relationship. Additionally, this song features a truly admirable bass line. The production and compositions are also commendable this time around, as is Matt Shultz’s charismatically delivered vocal performance.

Low 8.

Dance Dance is a simpler moment focused purely on describing an amicable moment of… *dance*, where people are simply “vibin'” — just a feel-good moment in its clearest form. Moreover, the hook is great! It’s a fun and upbeat moment that could also be described as, well… danceable. Not to mention the bass lines which is, once again, rather surprising. It is because of this that it’s all the more disappointing for the choruses to be paired with such an irritating set of verses. Here, the vocals are obnoxious, and the compositions are starkly lacklustre, so much so that they are barely balanced by the chorus into a more acceptable albeit inconsistent final product.

Low 7.

What I’m Becoming goes back to middle-of-the-road performances, songwriting, arrangements and production. Everything about the song is simply lukewarm, including the lyrical themes of guilt after and during a breakup. Although the string arrangements are charming, bright, and even somewhat inspiring, they are not enough to make up for everything else.

Low 6.

Tokyo Smoke evocatively brings back the powerful and distorted guitar work. What’s more, the lyrics are a more-than-decent exploration of the feeling of powerlessness; in the context of the album, this could be impotence in the face of having hurt a loved one — a situation that Matt Shultz is fed up with “play[ing] the fool” in. All in all, the whole track has fun arrangements, and another good bass line, as well as a solid hook, and fitting production and mixing.

Mid-High 7.

Goodbye is a heartfelt and morose breakup song. The hurt is palpable, along with the relatable self-consciousness that sprouted from the separation. The compositions are enjoyable as well, and the vocal performance is also quite candid and emotively delivered. However, these qualities are tainted by the mixing/mastering, which makes the instrumental clip or saturate in an unappealing, unfitting, and distracting way when the song begins to build up in intensity.

Mid 7.