Falling In Reverse
Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2024 3:31 pm
This is another band I've recently got very much into. I'm a big fan of the fact that it's nigh impossible to fit them into any one genre (or two...or three for that matter). Again I urge anyone who doesn't know them to dive into at least some of the later tracks listed below.
FIR have been around for about 15 years, with their first album (The Drug In Me Is You) being released in 2011. Their early material wasn't particularly attention-worthy at all - think early Blink 182, Green Day or Sum 41. Fairly superficial pop-punk, not taking itself at all seriously - here are a couple of relatively fun examples (which I've chosen for reasons that will become clear later):-
Falling In Reverse - The Drug In Me Is You (2011)
Falling In Reverse - I'm Not A Vampire (2011)
FIR's 2nd and 3rd albums - Fashionably Late (2013) and Just Like You (2015) - have in my book at least almost nothing to merit them. The band's style has moved on to incorporate more rap, metalcore and even electronica, but they're taking themselves almost laughably seriously without any grounds for doing so. The one track that shows early signs of a more profound direction that they would eventually take is this one from Just Like You, written by lead singer Ronnie Radke (a divisive character, to say the least) about his brother who died in an auto accident:-
Falling In Reverse - Brother (2015)
The band's 4th album - Coming Home (2017) - is very different. Much more melodious and mainstream, more synth-based and massively different from their previous material (with one throwback track but with a harder edge called F**k You And All Your Friends, which is a fun listen). Track choices from this:-
Falling In Reverse - Coming Home (2016)
Falling In Reverse - Superhero (2017)
Falling In Reverse - Carry On (released in 2020 but recorded in 2017)
*** Added Edit ***
I had to throw one more track from this album into this, because it's gradually becoming one of my favourites. Here you go:-
Falling In Reverse - Loser (2017)
*** End Edit ***
It's at about this time that FIR and Ronnie Radke in particular took a much more detailed interest in video production - as can be seen from the video to Superhero linked to above. This is something that has stayed with and defined the band ever since.
From this point onwards, FIR have avoided cutting albums, instead choosing single plus video releases instead. They've simultaneously evolved massively in what seems to be a hundred and one different directions all at once, which to me makes them compellingly original. Here's a taster of their later material, with the ones that you really ought to listen to (and I'm confident you'll thank me) highlighted:-
The Drugs Trilogy
Falling In Reverse - Losing My Mind (2018)
Falling In Reverse - Losing My Life (2018)
Falling In Reverse - Drugs (2019) (this one's not for the faint-hearted)
Highly autobiographical and self-referential, this trilogy starts off being much more electronica and almost Europop based, with a heavy amount of rap thrown in. As it moves on, it gets added layers of metalcore, with Corey Taylor of Slipknot guesting on "Drugs".
But FIR haven't finished there... they've barely even started.
The Genre-Defying Singles
Falling In Reverse - Popular Monster (2019) A simply "must listen"
Falling In Reverse - Zombified (2022)
Falling In Reverse - Voices In My Head (2022)
Falling In Reverse - Watch The World Burn (2023) A simply "must listen"
The above four tracks - and particularly "Popular Monster" - are what broke FIR into the big time. Again, it's a huge evolutionary shift with rap fusing into hard rock and screamo metalcore. Plus the accompanying videos aren't videos, they're Hollywood blockbuster style short movies. Among his jaw-droppingly vast range of vocal talents, Ronnie Radke's ability to spit triple tempo bars is right up there with the very best of machine gun chopper rappers, like Tech N9ne and Eminem (check out the middle section of "Watch The World Burn" to see this in action).
But again, FIR have one more completely leftfield (and let's not forget, simultaneous) furrow to plough...
The Re-Imaginings
Falling In Reverse - The Drug In Me Is Reimagined (2020) A simply "must listen"
Falling In Reverse - I'm Not A Vampire Revamped (2021)
Falling In Reverse - Last Resort Reimagined (2023) A simply "must listen"
What's particularly interesting with these is that the first two are FIR songs from over a decade ago that the band has completely reworked into something literally utterly different - the original tracks are linked to at the start of this post, if anyone wants to compare and contrast. You'd be hard-pushed to know that the reimagined versions were from the same band and I'd bet genuinely staggered to find out that Ronnie Radke has the ability to sing as well and as emotively as he clearly does.
In the same vein, the last song listed above is a complete reworking of the classic angry thrash metal/rap teen anthem by Papa Roach as released in 2000 (here's the original) - and oh my God is it different. Created with Jacoby Shaddix's blessing, the FIR version features exactly the same lyrics, exactly the same tune... but the arrangement takes the song to somewhere far more emotive and far more profound. It hits. HARD.
Such is the genre-breaking originality and sheer breadth of what Falling In Reverse can demonstrably produce that I can't wait to see what the band does next. It's been a very long while since I've been this enthused about such a variegated level of musical creativity.
So if you don't know Falling In Reverse, I cannot recommend strongly enough that you give at least the "must listens" listed above a go... I don't think you'll be disappointed in the least.
(That is, unless you're Wos. Because to put it mildly, FIR don't hold the church or God in particularly high esteem).
FIR have been around for about 15 years, with their first album (The Drug In Me Is You) being released in 2011. Their early material wasn't particularly attention-worthy at all - think early Blink 182, Green Day or Sum 41. Fairly superficial pop-punk, not taking itself at all seriously - here are a couple of relatively fun examples (which I've chosen for reasons that will become clear later):-
Falling In Reverse - The Drug In Me Is You (2011)
Falling In Reverse - I'm Not A Vampire (2011)
FIR's 2nd and 3rd albums - Fashionably Late (2013) and Just Like You (2015) - have in my book at least almost nothing to merit them. The band's style has moved on to incorporate more rap, metalcore and even electronica, but they're taking themselves almost laughably seriously without any grounds for doing so. The one track that shows early signs of a more profound direction that they would eventually take is this one from Just Like You, written by lead singer Ronnie Radke (a divisive character, to say the least) about his brother who died in an auto accident:-
Falling In Reverse - Brother (2015)
The band's 4th album - Coming Home (2017) - is very different. Much more melodious and mainstream, more synth-based and massively different from their previous material (with one throwback track but with a harder edge called F**k You And All Your Friends, which is a fun listen). Track choices from this:-
Falling In Reverse - Coming Home (2016)
Falling In Reverse - Superhero (2017)
Falling In Reverse - Carry On (released in 2020 but recorded in 2017)
*** Added Edit ***
I had to throw one more track from this album into this, because it's gradually becoming one of my favourites. Here you go:-
Falling In Reverse - Loser (2017)
*** End Edit ***
It's at about this time that FIR and Ronnie Radke in particular took a much more detailed interest in video production - as can be seen from the video to Superhero linked to above. This is something that has stayed with and defined the band ever since.
From this point onwards, FIR have avoided cutting albums, instead choosing single plus video releases instead. They've simultaneously evolved massively in what seems to be a hundred and one different directions all at once, which to me makes them compellingly original. Here's a taster of their later material, with the ones that you really ought to listen to (and I'm confident you'll thank me) highlighted:-
The Drugs Trilogy
Falling In Reverse - Losing My Mind (2018)
Falling In Reverse - Losing My Life (2018)
Falling In Reverse - Drugs (2019) (this one's not for the faint-hearted)
Highly autobiographical and self-referential, this trilogy starts off being much more electronica and almost Europop based, with a heavy amount of rap thrown in. As it moves on, it gets added layers of metalcore, with Corey Taylor of Slipknot guesting on "Drugs".
But FIR haven't finished there... they've barely even started.
The Genre-Defying Singles
Falling In Reverse - Popular Monster (2019) A simply "must listen"
Falling In Reverse - Zombified (2022)
Falling In Reverse - Voices In My Head (2022)
Falling In Reverse - Watch The World Burn (2023) A simply "must listen"
The above four tracks - and particularly "Popular Monster" - are what broke FIR into the big time. Again, it's a huge evolutionary shift with rap fusing into hard rock and screamo metalcore. Plus the accompanying videos aren't videos, they're Hollywood blockbuster style short movies. Among his jaw-droppingly vast range of vocal talents, Ronnie Radke's ability to spit triple tempo bars is right up there with the very best of machine gun chopper rappers, like Tech N9ne and Eminem (check out the middle section of "Watch The World Burn" to see this in action).
But again, FIR have one more completely leftfield (and let's not forget, simultaneous) furrow to plough...
The Re-Imaginings
Falling In Reverse - The Drug In Me Is Reimagined (2020) A simply "must listen"
Falling In Reverse - I'm Not A Vampire Revamped (2021)
Falling In Reverse - Last Resort Reimagined (2023) A simply "must listen"
What's particularly interesting with these is that the first two are FIR songs from over a decade ago that the band has completely reworked into something literally utterly different - the original tracks are linked to at the start of this post, if anyone wants to compare and contrast. You'd be hard-pushed to know that the reimagined versions were from the same band and I'd bet genuinely staggered to find out that Ronnie Radke has the ability to sing as well and as emotively as he clearly does.
In the same vein, the last song listed above is a complete reworking of the classic angry thrash metal/rap teen anthem by Papa Roach as released in 2000 (here's the original) - and oh my God is it different. Created with Jacoby Shaddix's blessing, the FIR version features exactly the same lyrics, exactly the same tune... but the arrangement takes the song to somewhere far more emotive and far more profound. It hits. HARD.
Such is the genre-breaking originality and sheer breadth of what Falling In Reverse can demonstrably produce that I can't wait to see what the band does next. It's been a very long while since I've been this enthused about such a variegated level of musical creativity.
So if you don't know Falling In Reverse, I cannot recommend strongly enough that you give at least the "must listens" listed above a go... I don't think you'll be disappointed in the least.
(That is, unless you're Wos. Because to put it mildly, FIR don't hold the church or God in particularly high esteem).