Taylor Acorn Brings More Consistency To The Scene With ‘Poster Child’

Nashville’s own pop-punk queen Taylor Acorn has returned with her second full-length record, with ‘Poster Child’. This marks her first release since her debut album from last year, ‘Survival In Motion’. This record dives into a lot of the themes and high points that make her a secret weapon within the scene right now. It’s hard to argue how consistent she is when it comes to putting out catchy, relatable tunes that feel personable. 

The album opens with a pretty bouncy type of track, with “People Pleaser”. It’s got such a huge 2000’s inspired chorus and the right energy to start off the record. And immediately, I just love how honest these lyrics feel and that’ll be consistent for the rest of these songs. It’s also got a pretty solid bridge to accompany these elements, and just makes for a nice opening track. 

We follow up with one of the main singles from the record, with “Crashing Out”. This one gives off huge pop-rock vibes and shoutout to the guitars on this one really amplifying that sort of feeling. It’s got a dance-like type of chorus, as well as providing catchy melodies to make this one a memorable one. Her lyrics continue to feel specific to her as an artist and stands out, when others would fall to the wayside and feel too similar. 

We continue on with yet another one of the singles, with “Hangman”. This one really feels like what I’d expect to hear from one of her songs, like it just feels signature to her style. It’s giving big pop-punk energy, and a massive chorus as well (and she sounds great during). The lyrics also feel clever and give off a pretty good analogy, and this song keeps the energy of the album feel well paced so far. 

We jump to one of my highlights off this record, with the title track. I think it does a good job of keeping the vibe of the last track. And she’s really done such a great job making choruses feel big and memorable. This song feels like a good example of her songs feeling simultaneously fresh and nostalgic. Like, you could tell she grew up on 2000’s era music and it shows in the best ways. One lyric that stood out here for me was “call me a runaway train until you stepped on the tracks, so I hit the brakes”. 

We slow it down a little bit with a more pop rock type of track, with “Home Videos”. The chorus here feels so 2010’s pop rock coded that it could’ve easily been a hit during that era of music. The lyrics dive into the feeling of missing being a kid and not having all the worries of adulthood. This one’s another example of her songwriting feeling specific and personal to her, and that’s why she does a great job at standing out amongst her peers. 

We jump into another pop rock leaning type of song, and another highlight with “Cheap Dopamine”. The melodies here are so great, especially during the chorus. It’s a track that feels like it could’ve been in the 2000’s and that nostalgia really comes in clutch for a song like this. It’s also got the vibe of just the right song to listen to on a summer day as the sun’s setting. Like truly perfect summer energy encapsulating a song such as this one.

We pick the energy back up with possibly my favorite song on this album overall, with “Blood On Your Hands”. The chorus is absolutely stellar, and it’s maybe the best on the album when it comes to its melodies and delivery. I appreciate just how much these lyrics feel like such a call out. I fully believe this should’ve been a single because it’s easily one of her best songs to date. “Better run motherfucker” is such an insane line to have right before the last chorus by the way, and I love it.

We jump to the first single off this album, with “Goodbye, Good Riddance”. This one really gives off huge 80’s vibes when it comes to both the melodies and the tempo presented. The chorus delivers yet another banger, and shows why this was the first single off this album. The drums are a standout on this song, and the lyrics feel fitting after the last track (with it being so raw). The last chorus going into halftime goes so fucking hard as well, so awesome. 

We follow up with a song that’s more of her classic sort of sound, with “Sucker Punch”. The chorus feels like it could be sung to the heavens in an arena type of setting. And I love how laid back the verses feel, since they compliment just how massive that chorus is. She sounds great on this one especially as well. It makes for one of the best songs on here overall, and one I’m sure her fans would gravitate towards. 

We get back to big pop-punk vibes, with “Vertigo”. This one really feels so Neck Deep coded, and the melodies feel pretty inspired by modern bands of the genre. The chorus feels so high energy, and her delivery during the verses feels absolutely seamless and natural. You can tell she loves doing this, and that she’s really great at it (and only on album number two by the way). A lyric that stood out for me on this one was “Normally I’d proceed with caution, but you broke in and now I’m nauseous”. It’s both simple and clever, and feels on brand to her songwriting. 

We jump to the penultimate track, and another one of my favorites with “Theme Park”. The lyrics once again feel personal on this one, and that chorus is another one of her best to date. It’s a song that does a great job at playing into the nostalgia, and it feels right at home on this album and being the second to last song. “You make me feel just like a kid again” is a line that’s simple, and yet it’s sweet and personal to include in this banger of a song. 

We close off the album on a more laid back, emotional note with “Masquerade”. It feels like a fitting one to end on, and it does a great job of living up to what a closing track should be. The orchestral elements really elevate this song to new heights, and it backs up the emotion of the song really well. The layered vocals during the bridge also feel like a pretty nice touch. It’s just a well rounded song from start to finish, and the right song to end the album on. The outro also being more intimate just feels right.

Taylor Acorn continues to be one of the most consistent and talented artists in this scene, and that’s proven once again with ‘Poster Child’. It feels like a worthy, and possibly better follow-up to her debut last year. And she does a great job at making these songs feel like her own, and I’m surprised she’s not one of the faces of this scene at this point.