Heart Attack Man drop their fourth full-length studio album, Joyride The Pale Horse. Since bursting onto the scene in 2014, the Cleveland band have gained recognition worldwide, building upon their sound rooted in the pop punk of the late ’90s and early 2000s. The sound in question is characterised by catchy melodies and morbid themes, so it should surprise absolutely no one that this album is about death.
Joyride eases us into this heavy subject matter with ‘One More Song’, a straightforward, enjoyable track that discusses impostor syndrome and running out of new ideas. Ironically, this song does nothing particularly new for the band or the genre, but it’s a very fun way to start a very depressing ride.
The third track, ‘Spit’, is where things start to get very interesting. The stomping 4/4 rhythm really switches up the pace, giving weight to frontman Eric Egan’s anger as he tears into AI and the death of creativity. It’s heavy, catchy, and a smart choice of single given the current discourse around the topic.
As Joyride continues, the tracks become a lot more personal, swerving towards the subject of death rather than around it. From the Type O Negative-coded ‘Lay Down and Die’, suicide in particular becomes a consistent theme, shifting to a first-person perspective in ‘Call of the Void’ that will leave you deeply concerned for the band’s well-being. Tracks like ‘One Good Reason’ continue the theme while experimenting with dynamics. Acoustic, spoken word verses break into powerful, almost anthemic choruses.
We end with the title track, ‘Joyride,’ which brings down the pace to a gentle cruise with a semi-acoustic, bitter-sweet ballad about suicide. The soft core beneath Heart Attack Man’s hard exterior is revealed, and it is stunning. This song is the highlight of the entire album, tying together the second half into something of a mini concept album. Perhaps this narrative could have been more consistent across the whole release, but that doesn’t take away from what an impressive album this is.
‘Joyride The Pale Horse‘ is out 25th April 2025. Catch Heart Attack Man at Slam Dunk Festival in May 2025.
