The Devil Wears Prada have big shoes to fill. It’s a footprint left by them, when they released Color Decay in 2022. What has acclaimed widely as their best work, there is a sliver of sonic exploration they dove into well there that displays mastery. Their latest album release shifts the mass to a very different arena, still carrying TDWP sound. This one is called Flowers.
Opening with a monologue is a dramatic, and poignant move. It not only takes on the pause the band left with grace, but also brings a commentary on what we’re going to experience. The hopeful tune Where the Flowers Never Grow starts our excursion, and there is something to reminisce here.
The pop, from the hits
If you’re an old The Devil Wears Prada fan, there is something this album does in bridging the old version of the band with what they have evolved to. New fans can rejoice, as they’re getting some melodic metalcore beyond what the mainstream distributes. The lead of the chorus and lyrical hooks are memorable-while having a distinctive push with rage and lethal execution. Note, the second half of the song shows us what they’ve been packing all these years; what makes them so unique and generous in each of their tunes.
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Everybody Knows gives that electronic zeal another chance, with their signature rough/clean vocals coming together. Like the new Architect’s album, there are hooks that stay with you long after the album is over. In some parts, the spoken word parts lose any colour, which might derail you from the experience. Lyrics are relevant and punchy, instead of feeding the same drawl we’ve been given in metalcore for the past few years.
Electronica, and more.
The electronic expression in So Low is the kind I prefer for sure. It’s minimal while the verse is delivered, with the best parts of the song packed away for the chorus. Though anti-climatic in the first instance, this is the overlooking cliff they want to take you to before the leap. It blends in almost seamlessly, before you know it the charged song is over. The Devil Wears Prada are charged to the highest voltage, making a passionate discovery, with the first half of the album having some great highlights.
Take it back to 2006, and this will seem like an alternate universe you’re walking in. A band who has always been bold enough to tread ice-cold waters and step on steaming geysers, it’s almost like their finger is on the pulse of society in terms of what they write. As friends, they have formed an indivisible bond that might get into thrash one day and death metal the other. It is with The Act that we’re seeing electronica take the compositional brunt of many songs, while the group also try unique approaches in making music. What they found in Color Decay is what that fracture in time needed, and they delivered it with passion.
The sound as a band
So when you return to All Out, it’s almost like a riff drawn from so many classic albums, it seems all worth it. Mike Hranica has never sounded better, being able to deliver the melodic angles with a soul unlike other albums. This is him reflecting what the song needs with an accuracy and self-reflection that stands out. Ritual breaks down that complexity into another simple song that can be digested for the newest metalcore fan.
If you’re listening to the genre to have the pop repetition, there are songs here for you that are renditions designed to be catchy. This doesn’t bother me at all, I love range in an album more than the next guy. The Devil Wears Prada are the kind of collective that are focused on what the output of the album is going to be as well. This is another reason why they put so much dynamic depth in their complete collection.
Repetition is… key?
It’s when you reach When You’re Gone that you start paying attention to the patterns. I have usually swayed to the powerful, cryptic and layered lyrics of The Devil Wears Prada. This album… just doesn’t cut it. It’s like with Flowers, the words written for the songs have to be given to the fans, not left to perception. If it’s not personal, it’s evocative. In the end, it’s direct. Direct isn’t for the fans of this band. Direct is for mainstream pop that caters to the algorithm and vice versa.
I refuse to deny the emotional melodies and personal moments intertwined into this album by the band. They hold a weight and value that perhaps is incalculable. However, the songwriting in itself doesn’t quite cut it, especially after collections like The Act and the heavier tunes like Salt from Color Decay.
Where they’re heading
As principal, I don’t compare albums, for they represent a whole other context. However, for a band that is critically acclaimed for their songwriting and the way they sell the vibe, Flowers is the pop follow up to their masterpiece. Is it different enough for us to say they were experimenting? Sure. We’re not going to say that but.
Cure Me is one of the closer singles that have a bit of punch to it. These might be more relatable, but are the spike in what are duller lyrics from a very exciting band. This is not any end, but just another bookmark to a chapter that aims to be thrilling. You still get your flowers as a glorious band. Just that they need to be, well, fresher.
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Self professed metalhead, moderately well read. If the music has soul, it's whole to me. The fact that my bio could have ended on a rhyme and doesn't should tell you a lot about my personality.
