REVIEW: The Used's "Toxic Positivity" via Big Noise Music Group

There are certain bands in the emo and alternative sphere that have reached this plateau of what they have to offer, we all know them, we all know it to be true, but for some reason there seems to be this denial that it can be true. Face it; The Used are our version of classic rock bands releasing a new record every few years just to tour on the hits anyway. This has been true for a while and yet, everyone seems to be especially hard on this new record of theirs. Bert McCracken himself has said he completely understands why fans write off the band’s catalog in the 2010s, he was playing with heavy emotions and some less than well thought out sonic decisions. However the band saw a huge resurgence on Heartwork; a record that took that old style and kicked it up to eleven. But that was always meant to be a one time thing.


Weirder still, when you turn this record on you’re met with “Worst I’ve Ever Been,” a track that sounds like it carries on the torch from Heartwork, in fact, so much of Toxic Positivity sounds like the successor to that last album, a less realized idea of the vision, but that same band is still there. For another band I’d probably come down on that repeating style pretty harshly but as I said above The Used have never had a spotless reputation and I hardly see this record as a bump in the overall discography. In fact I’d even argue that there’s plenty on this record to like, “Cherry” is a little repetitive but an overall solid emo-pop track with a good hook and a cool breakdown and that riff on “Top of the World?” Are you kidding me?!


One of the biggest crimes I see on this record is honestly just Bert not really being on top of his game lyrically throughout. I think that could have easily been remedied, however, by leaving a track or two off and maybe including the singles which are all nowhere to be seen on the final product. Songs like “Numb” and “I Hate Everybody” are lyrically really bad but instrumentally and melodically the tracks are there, in fact I’d say they’re just a step above the quality of songs that find their way onto radio Octane.


I think I find that The Used delivered a solid album that suffers from some unoriginality and a few little flaws but I do not think it warranted the massive amounts of hate it's been getting on the timeline. I think the whole reason I’m even putting effort into my thoughts on Toxic Positivity is because I’m just sort of tired of this hold that social media has over all of us that what’s good or bad is objective and that the good and bad bands and albums are set in stone on a community level. I have a soft spot for The Used from childhood, this isn’t their best, but it’s far from their worst.

Our Rating - 6/10

Favorite Tracks
  1. Worst I've Ever Been
  2. Numb
  3. I Hate Everybody
  4. Pinky Swear
  5. Headspace
  6. Cherry
  7. Dopamine
  8. Dancing with a Brick Wall
  9. Top of the World
  10. House of Sand
  11. Giving Up

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