Sweet Pill document their way out of burnout and re-light their fire with a second record that epitomises hard truths and tough love.
Still There’s A Glow might deceive you. Written off the back of vocalist Zayna Youssef’s denial of mental illness and struggle following a period of burnout, the themes of fire and light on Sweet Pill's new album represent both hope and destruction, and sometimes you can’t even tell the two apart.
The Philly five’s signature emo-math-rock structures complement the disorientation felt by Zayna over the past few years. As a band who’ve found so much success early on, it’s easy to forget that this is only their second record. Sweet Pill, already loved by stars like Hayley Williams and Doja Cat, toured rigorously during their debut cycle, which began the process of dwindling, rekindling and starting a fire all over again.
Opener Sunblind feels like waking up anew. They start almost where things end, with a feeling of rebirth, but its sweetness soon feels artificial as things descend into a much darker place of delusion, unhealthy habits, and being disconnected from reality. Sweet Pill are clever with how they lead you astray; the hazy and slow Glow has Zayna acknowledging, ‘I’m led between what’s real and just a dream,’ but as it evolves into Slow Burn, the pace is anything but, and she relishes in her own toxicity.
A lot of the songs here feel very similar, but shining gems Tough Love and closer Letting Go stand apart for their wisdom and poignancy. It’s here the band accept that they’re healing, and it feels honest.
An album of facing the truth no matter how uncomfortable, Still There’s A Glow is purposefully disjointed and tense, and yet was put together by the band in its most cohesive form: five mates who stuck together, were patient with each other, and helped each other out of the thickest smoke.
Verdict: 3/5
For fans of: Pool Kids, Momma, The Wonder Years
Still There’s A Glow is released on March 13 via Hopeless.
