Highs and lows with Huxley

Comin’ in hot comes Huxley with their new self-titled album and song “Evol,” showcasing the feeling of love and all the intensity involved with it. The band could have slowed down the beginning of the album but instead they decided to come in aggressively, because hard rock is their thing. The band takes a few instrumental and riff breaks to fully let all their feelings out through their instruments. These songs will definitely get you movin’, some could be called love songs, minus the ballad aspect.

The band continues the heat throughout the album with their Fall Out Boy-vibe in riff packed songs like “If I ruled the world.” This song along with others continues the band’s hopeful angsty sound, singing “so much to lose, so much to gain” in “Regression.”

Huxley showcases their independent ideals and powerful sound on this album. “I know the life I chose is a life of pain,” is a testament to the theme of the album.

About half-way through the album, the focus shifts from riff-heavy moments to spotlighting the drums. The band does well at producing hardcore ballads and an energy that crowds love. Feeling like a Red Hot Chili Pepper song, but harder of course is, “We Are,” the albums grandiose finale. Closing out with a heavy emphasis on the bass line, Huxley’s emotionally charged new album starts out, gun’s a-blazin’, with a straight-to-the-point, emotional hardcore journey. Although some of the sounds may seem repetitive at times, it works because each song has its own uniqueness that stays true to the band. As the intensity of the songs increase throughout the album, it seems as if the band is trying to outcompete itself with each track. Huxley’s sound is definitely original, even if there are trace elements of the pop-rock popularized from bands such as My Chemical Romance from the early 2000s’.