David Foster Wallace (1962-2008) said in his speech-turned-into-essay "This is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life" (2005) that there is no such thing as not worshipping in adult life. He said that we all have no choice but to worship, but that at least we are given the option to choose what to worship. Pretty much anything you worship will eat you alive, but maybe you are lucky enough to find something that makes life somewhat worth-living, or maybe you find something that is so sweet and gentle while it eats you alive that you don't even realise it until it is too late—and it is worth it, anyways. To me, that thing to worship has always been music.
Funnily enough, I ended up reading this essay by David Foster Wallace for the first time because of a song called "The Divine Absence (This Is Water)". This song is included in The Canyon (Hopeless Records, 2017), The Used's seventh studio album, perhaps their rawest, most special piece to date as it was a "selfish" project to reflect upon the life and death of a dear friend who took his own life in the Provo Canyon, back in the band's home state of Utah. Bert McCracken, The Used's lead singer and songwriter, has always been very open regarding his love for literature and, more specifically, David Foster Wallace (and his most well-known work, Infinite Jest, published in 1996), and not only this can be also regarded in their latest album, Heartwork (Big Noise/Hassle Records, 2020), but I can't think of a better way to start talking about The Used.
The Used is a band like no other, and I am not saying this because I have been a hardcore Used fan for more than half of my life—which feels very odd to say, considering I am not a kid anymore. One of the most remarkable figures in the emo movement of the early 2000s, The Used have always found their way to stay true to themselves even when reinventing themselves, something not a lot of bands can say. Whether it is the nostalgic and desperate post-hardcore screams from a basement in Utah or the gross-pop notes of their darkest times—or even the anthem-like sounds of their most political period—, The Used have always been just that, which is perhaps the only reason they have stayed around for twenty years and counting—along one of the most loyal fanbases I have ever had the pleasure to know and be a part of.
Considering the fact that their previous album was nothing like anything The Used had ever made, no one was quite sure of what to expect from Heartwork. Even if we knew that The Canyon was an isolated project that clearly feels like the end of a chapter in someone's life—or in a band's life, perhaps—, the feeling of singularity and finality can only make you think that anything is possible after that. And it was, indeed.
Heartwork has more in common with the band's earliest work than all the albums that followed, but even with that said, it is also their most unique and modern record to date. In Bert McCracken's words, it is an album that is all over the place, and I can't think of a better way to put it. Even if the first two singles of the album—"Blow Me", second track in the album with the collaboration of Fever 333's Jason Aalon Butler, and "Paradise Lost, A Poem By John Milton", the first track of the album—promised one of the heaviest Used albums in a very long time, we were in for a surprise. Because yes, it does indeed have some of the heaviest cuts in The Used's production—the most obvious example being "The Lottery", fourteenth track of the album inspired by the short story of the same title by Shirley Jackson and with the collaboration of Beartooth's Caleb Shomo—, but it also has some of the "poppiest" tunes the band has ever made—and I am particularly thinking about "Clean Cut Heals", tenth track in the album and that Bert McCracken even said he had tried to include in another album before, only for the rest of the band to be opposed to the idea. To put it plainly, there is a little bit for everyone in this album, and I believe I am not wrong when I say there is no way it can leave anyone indifferent, whether you like it or not. This is a band having the most fun they have ever had doing what they love, and as much as I love my music to stop and sit down with me to just hurt, this is definitely the album the world needed right now—and "Cathedral Bell", the seventh track of the album and a song about needing to get out but not being able to do so, seems to be written as an omen of what was to come for all of us.
But it is not only in their reinvented sound that we can find new-yet-old elements in Heartwork. The Used's eighth studio album meant the return of Goldfinger's John Feldmann—who produced the band for the last time in 2014, when they released their very own political manifesto, Imaginary Enemy (GAS Union)—, a familiar face among fans from the band and music in general, and who clearly knows his craft, while also allowing the artists to be as daring as they can get. For the producer who discovered the band almost two decades ago, The Used have nothing but kind words, which is only natural when some of their most remarkable work was done under his guidance—and this album is no less. Heartwork is also the first album that includes guitarist Joey Bradford after Justin Shekoski's departure from the band, who is definitely a more than welcome addition to the Used family and who fits in the band just right. Along with the new faces and the old friends, Heartwork is also an album that stands out as the record in The Used's production with the most collaborations, with some big names such as blink-182's Mark Hoppus—as can be seen in the album's twelfth track, "The Lighthouse"—and Travis Barker—in the album's thirteenth track, "Obvious Blassé"—, along with the previous mentioned: Fever 333's Jason Aalon Butler and Beartooth's Caleb Shomo.
A not so commented collaboration was the participation of Phem as one of the songwriters of my favourite song in the entire album and undoubtedly the most emotional track in Heartwork, "To Feel Something". Interestingly enough, it tackles one of the themes Bert McCracken has written the most about in his career as The Used's singer and songwriter, but it is not only the lyrical content of this song what makes it so intense and unforgettable, but it is also the fact that this is the first time in a very long time that we get to hear one of McCracken's signature screams, that he had to stop doing after damaging his vocal chords back in 2009. "To Feel Something" is an experience by itself, and you just have to listen to it to know exactly what I mean. Additionally, I strongly believe it works as a summary of the sound of this album: new and fresh, yet old and nostalgic enough. The Used have always known how to close an album, and this is no exception.
As per my favourite remark about The Used and their more characteristic trait, the universal themes their lyrics deal with are still as alive, meaningful and vibrant as always—preferred over the political undertones that we found in albums such as Imaginary Enemy, as previously mentioned. Love, death, the lack of feeling and the desire to feel like everyone else have echoed in their lyrics since their 2002 self-titled album, and even though we saw some of those ideas mutate and mature over time, they are still as raw and heart wrenching as ever. The Used have always been a band with a lot to say, with an impressive amount of lyrics in their songs when compared to other bands, and they are not running out of things to say any time soon. With their never-ending references to their own past lyrics—as fans quickly pointed out, the "I made peace with the light" that can be heard in "Gravity's Rainbow" clearly references that "you know I hate light" that can be found in In Love and Death's (Reprise Records, 2004) "Take It Away", perhaps one of The Used's most famous songs, but this is just one among a dozen of examples that can be found with a quick listen—and literary references—as can be seen in the titles of some of the songs: "Paradise Lost, A Poem By John Milton", "1984 (infinite jest)", "Gravity's Rainbow" and "The Lottery", but that were also prominent in previous albums such as The Canyon and their so under-appreciated EP, The Ocean of the Sky (Hopeless Records, 2013); in Bert McCracken's words, "let's just talk about books, forever"—, with even a daring reference (or so fans think) to My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade (Reprise Records, 2006) in "1984 (infinite jest)", that definitely gave fans something to talk about, especially after the rumors about a certain American My Chemical Romance tour that would have The Used as openers, followed up by Bert McCracken's affirmations that his and Gerard Way's famous feud was water under the bridge after the two men met at a frnkiero show about four years ago, where they "reconnected". We definitely are living interesting times, and not only because of a certain virus keeping us all indoors.
Heartwork is, to sum up, one of the best albums in The Used's career—and believe me, that is a lot coming from me. It is definitely a great time to be a The Used fan, and to be proud to call them your favourite band. It has the most amazing slapping bass I have heard in a very long while, and I am sure you won't stop talking about it and Jepha Howard's unquestionable talent either. Bert McCracken's vocals are at its best, while Dan Whitesides's drums still have never let me down. As mentioned earlier, Joey Bradford is an amazing addition to the band, and he is clearly talented and with a lot to offer to the sound of The Used. I personally can't stop listening to this album and I can't wait to finally be able to listen to it live, from the catchy tunes of "Wow, I Hate This Song" and "BIG, WANNA BE" to the more familiar sounds of songs such as "Bloody Nose", an already fan favourite, and "Darkness Bleeds, FOTF". With its 16 tracks, it is a lengthy album, but it is also quite a ride that can't possibly get any boring. Just do yourself a favor and go give it a listen if you haven't already. And tell me if you are able to stop yourself from dancing when you get to "Clean Cut Heals".
5/5
