What do you call a skeleton who hangs out in coffee shops and listens to indie music? A Hip-ster. I had to start off with a lame skeleton joke because Pop Evil has just released their seventh album, Skeletons! Whether you keep them in your closet or you let it all out, We all have Skeletons. This album mainly focuses on the struggles of mental health and figuring out how to deal with the Skeletons. The band said, “We all have voices in our head that tell us lies. They say things like “I’m not good enough,” “I’m alone,” “Things will never get better.” These voices have the power to stop us in our tracks if we don’t fight them. We know that the first step in quieting these voices is sharing them with others and receiving encouragement.” In discussing the album, frontman Leigh Kakaty “This is about us as a band stripping everything down to the bones. It’s more uptempo, it’s got bigger riffs, and we’re trying to capture the energy of our live show. But it’s also a positive message. I know it’s a morbid visual, but behind every skeleton, there’s a story and something worth talking about. Overall, it’s about looking at something in a positive way. And I’m excited for everyone to hear that.”
The short-piece intro track, “Arrival”, sets an eerie tone that leads straight into “Paranoid (Crash & Burn).”
“Please beware // the voice in your head is a threat,”
…is the opening line delivered from an AI voice. I love this new trend of adding more futuristic elements and sounds, like an AI voice, into rock songs. These elements have been used in albums such as Scoring the End of the World (Motionless in White) and Darkbloom (We Came as Romans) and something about it just works. Leigh said about the song, “It’s about the voices in our head — we all have ‘em, but do we act on them?” He went on to say, “It’s a cautionary tale, about processing those voices in a positive way.”
“Eye of The Storm” was the leading single for Skeletons. It again follows the theme of growing through what you’re going through. It’s personally my favorite song off the album just because of the sense of nostalgia it brings to me. I saw Pop Evil at two festivals in 2022, Blue Ridge Rock Festival and Louder Than Life, and everytime I hear this song now, it brings me back to those festivals in every sense. Leigh said, “It doesn’t matter who you are or where you came from, at some point we all face a situation beyond our control. At times, it feels helpless, but it’s not. There is a path through the chaos and a way out of the confusion. You are stronger and closer than you think you are. The storm will pass. Don’t let it bury you.” “Eye of The Storm'' landed No. 5 “Most Played Song in 2022” on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart.
Tying in with the overall theme of the album of reaching out and getting help, Pop Evil brought in three guest vocalists for the last three songs. Blake Allison from Devour the Day takes on the lead vocals on "Wrong Direction", Ryan Kirby from Fit For a King joins in on "Dead Reckoning" leaning towards a more Metal Core sound, and Zillion is featured on the final track, "Raging Bull."
Pop Evil just kicked off their Skeletons tour featuring special guests The Word Alive and Avoid. The tour will be wrapping up in just over a month so be sure to get your tickets and be some of the first to hear Skeletons live!
Skeletons U.S. Headlining Tour:
03/17 – Sault St. Marie, MI @ Kewadin Casino
03/18 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
03/19 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Jergel’s
03/21 – Lititz, PA @ Mickey’s Black Box *
03/23 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
03/24 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun – Wolf Den +
03/25 – Waterloo, NY @ Del Lago Casino *
03/26 – Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Hall
03/28 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Elevation27
03/30 – Tampa, FL @ Hard Rock Event Center
03/31 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
04/01 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground *
04/02 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East
04/04 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Tower Theatre
04/05 – Dallas, TX @ Echo Lounge & Music Hall
04/07 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
04/08 – Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee Theater
04/10 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory OC
04/11 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
04/12 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
04/14 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
04/15 – Grand Junction, CO @ Mesa Theatre
04/16 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
04/18 – Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theatre
04/19 – Kansas City, MO @ The Truman
04/21 – Pittsburg, KS @ Kansas Crossing Casino
04/22 – Chicago, IL @ Concord Music Hall
04/23 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
* The Word Alive will not be performing
+ No Support
Rescheduled UK + EU 2023 Tour:
05/04 – Glasgow, UK @ SWG3 Warehouse
05/05 – Manchester, UK @ Rebellion
05/06 – Birmingham, UK @ Institute 2
05/07 – London, UK @ The Dome
05/09 – Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo
05/10 – Cologne, DE @ Luxor
05/12 – Munich, DE @ Backstage Halle
05/13 – Frankfurt, DE @ Nachtleben
05/14 – Hamburg, DE @ Logo
05/15 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
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