Yours Truly Proves To Be The Scene’s Secret Weapon With ‘TOXIC’

Aussie pop-punk underdogs Yours Truly have returned with their second full-length album ‘TOXIC’. This marks their first release since 2022’s ‘is this what I feel like?’ EP and their full follow-up to 2020’s ‘Self Care’. This record dives into slightly more aggressive vibes than the previous album, as well as furthering this band’s sound. And it dives into a lot of familiar territory lyrically such as complicated relationships with friends or former lovers.

The record kicks off with “Back 2 U”, and the riffs start immediately. It goes to show how well this sets the tone for the album right away. It feels like a good mix of their signature sound in the chorus, and nu-metal influences in the verses. Despite the song having a pretty basic song structure, it’s a pretty solid way to start off the record for all the reasons I said. We follow up with the second single from the record, with “Sour”. It keeps the energy and vibe alive from that opening track, as it gives off more early 2000’s sort of vibes. I appreciate the lowkey grittiness to this song mixed with their usual sound. The attitude delivered in vocalist Mikaila Delgado’s vocals are heard in a big bad way here and I’m here for it. It has a super memorable chorus and this band has got that on lock it feels like. We continue on with another single from the record and my favorite out of them, with “California Sober”. This song is a pure example of pop-punk at its finest and the band proving that once again beautifully. I like how nostalgic these songs feel, yet fresh as it’s being heard in real time. The melodies are so on point here and that stays consistent to the entire record I feel like, as they’re on a roll with these choruses.

The record matches on with another non-single, with “Let Go”. This one has a lot of vibes from that most recent EP, and the vocals are once again a standout here. The drums feel like they stick out here in a great way, the production really underlines them wonderfully. Shoutout to them stepping it up when it comes to riffs on this album, you can tell where their influences are and it shows in spades here. The record reaches the end of its side A, with another highlight in “All That I’m Not”. It feels like a nice change of pace for the record to what we’ve gotten up to this point. The orchestra elements of this track really make it stand out, and it definitely hits. It gives off old Stand Atlantic vibes, which I also appreciate. The lyrics here dive into watching an ex move on and comparing yourself to who they’re with now, it’s relatable and can hit hard as well. We’re continued up with another nice change of pace and more of a swing of a track with “Love Feels Like”. It’s got a more stripped back pop vibe to it and definitely the most experimental out of any song on here. It’s a shorter one as well, which I wasn’t expecting for some reason. The lyrics simply dive into the desire of wanting to know what love truly feels like and all the thoughts going into it. It’s not my favorite on the album, but I appreciate a song like this being included. We pick up the energy a little bit with “Bloodshot Eyes”. The chorus here has a great vibe to it, and the instrumentals feels once again nostalgic but new since this band puts their own spin on it. And I just appreciate how much this band has evolved, on their sophomore album especially.

We’re on the home stretch of the record, starting with one of my favorites with “Sinking”. This song has such a gloominess to it that really makes it one of the best on here, as well as their discography as a whole. It gives off real 2000’s vibes to someone like Avril Lavigne, in all the best ways. Bloom’s feature on this song really fits in perfectly, as the vibe really calls for it. As the chorus hits as hard as it does, it really makes me wonder why this wasn’t a single as it feels deserving of that treatment. We’re onto the penultimate track of the album, with “Desaturated”. I mentioned it before but Mikaila’s delivery of some of her lyrics here have an attitude to them, something that reminds me of someone like Olivia Rodrigo. It’s something that doesn’t feel common anymore within the scene, and I truly love to see it. This one is one of the catchiest on the record, and it contains one of the best choruses here as well. And I’m a sucker every time when bands throw in a sample of a lighter, it gives off a little personality and it shows nicely. The record closes out with the first and lead single, with “Call My Name”. This is probably one of their best songs period, and the chorus packs an insane punch to it. That’s mainly because the contrast of the verses and chorus really makes it even more effective, and it’s such a standout. The bass really shines most here, especially in the verses which is pretty dope. It contains a hell of a bridge, and this track ends the album on a bang I feel like. I wouldn’t be surprised if they just close out their sets with this from now on, I would hope.

So all in all, ‘TOXIC’ by Yours Truly is a very solid sophomore effort and carries on the band’s sound while throwing in new elements along the way. They’ve got melodies and writing banger choruses on lock, and they continue to be one of this scene’s secret weapons. They’re easily one of the more underrated bands and this album calls for your attention.