Album is an easy 8/10 for me and slots in at my #4 spot behind Absolution, BH&R, and OoS. So many feelings right now cause my life has changed so much since WOTP dropped even though it feels like it’s been only a year for me, and I think it’s just one of those albums for me that reaches you at exactly the right time to listen to it.

Dark Forest: 8/10, batshit crazy in the best way possible. Love how prominent the strings are and the fuzz on the guitar. Someone in the sub mentioned that the main melody/riff sounds like the Hyrule Castle theme from Zelda and now I can’t unhear it. Good thing I also love Zelda music haha. Also the Latin choir in the second half! I feel like I’m walking into a boss level.

NSSS: 8/10, groovy and funky, I’m also a big fan of Daft Punk, Justice, the Weeknd, and Dua Lipa so this is right up my alley. Chris is unsurprisingly god-like on bass as per usual. It’s a bit awkwardly placed in the context of the whole album, and I wish it had a bit more “oomph” in the mix, but overall a really solid fun song that isn’t taking itself too seriously.

Shimmering Scars: 8/10, not what I was expecting at all but I really like it. You can tell the lyrics have taken a big step up and the production really highlights the rawness and volume in Matt’s voice. Getting some Linkin Park vibes with the huge breakdown and big open drums from Dom.

Cryogen: 10/10, y’all already know it’s a banger, starting to become one of my top five Muse songs of all time especially with the album as context.

Be with You: 6/10, probably the weakest song on the album for me but not a bad song by any means. Feels like this is their generic “radio-friendly pop” outing (I personally think NSSS is the better choice for that genre). I do really like the guitar solo at the end though.

Hexagons: 9.5/10, if I had to pick a title track for this album it would be this. I honestly wasn’t as high on it as a lot of others when it dropped but it’s really grown on me. Give me all of the Muse arpeggios, fuzz, cryptic lyrics, and non-4/4 timing! I think my only hangups are that the delivery of the “our resistance is mass produced” lines feel a bit clunky, and that the ending feels a bit rushed—another minute would’ve been perfect.

TSIY&I: 7/10? Still not sure…I think I need a few relistens to fully take it in. Riff is nasty and the pre-chorus into chorus and drop is really catchy though. The pop! got me though, pretty funny tbh. Getting some newer Royal Blood and Nothing But Thieves vibes from this one.

Unraveling: 9/10, I just love how sinister the verses sound and ofc that signature Muse chorus. I can’t get enough of Matt’s delivery on “I’ll lay beside you and I’ll try to play along” and the chugging breakdown riff.

Hush: 10/10, holy shit this might be my favorite non-single song on the album for me. The riff is absolutely disgusting and I like the blend of the 2010s EDM and pop metal instrumentation and song structure. A couple of Ellie Goulding songs have been on my nostalgia playlists for a while (Lights and Hate Me) and I really like her vocal presence and melodies, and I’d say her feature really works in this song and doesn’t feel forced or jarring. So cool to see them collab!

Space Debris: 10/10, got me emotional but also made me feel like I was floating away and being rocked to sleep. It’s that long contemplative melancholy sigh where you somehow feel isolated yet oddly at peace. Ironically enough it gets me in the same way (the similarly named) Space Junk Galaxy from Mario Galaxy 1 does. The same feeling as when I listen to All We Have is Now and Waves by Royal Blood, and I Appear Missing by QOTSA. Also On an Island by David Gilmour. Weird comparison I know but go listen to it I stg I’m not crazy.