A R I Z O N A ’s new album is titled “Asylum” and has nine songs making it three songs shorter than their previous album, GALLERY but what it lacks in numbers it makes up for in quality. It starts out with “Let Me Know,” an upbeat and inventive track with electronic and acoustic tones. The single released prior to the album, “Problems,” focuses on depression, which members of the trio struggle with. It is filled with honest lyrics about the symptoms of mental illness’ that people don’t like to talk about. However, the upbeat backtrack makes it a song you could still dance to. In interviews leading up to the release of “Asylum,” the band says that they did a lot of self-discovery since their last album and that “Asylum” reflects that.
My favorite song off the album is “Still Alive,” because it reflects how I feel a lot of the time. I think it reflects how lots of high school students feel. It talks about how even though life is hard sometimes, we are still alive and are not going to stop fighting anytime soon. The lyrics are put on an upbeat track making it an honest and raw song that you could still put on a road trip playlist.
One dislike I do have about this album is that all of the songs have a pretty similar feel and tone. Some people undoubtedly appreciate this. When I look at it from a standpoint of would I buy this album, I don’t think I would. This is because I would like to see more diversity in an album. I suppose this is the point of subscription-based music platforms.
Their previous album GALLERY topped out on the Top Heatseekers chart at number four and Billboard Top 200 at number 143 and so far “Asylum” has not been on any charts as of today.
“Asylum” is A R I Z O N A ’s second studio album and feels more honest than their first. They have seen the consequences of that in the charts. Their fans have embraced the album as a look into the band members’ life and what they experience daily.