Papa RoachEgo Trip

If you go into listening to Ego Trip with the expectation of hearing another Infest or Getting Away With Murder, then you are doing yourself a dis-service. Papa Roach are no longer concerned with recreating this earlier sound, and neither should you be.

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What initially began as a summer getaway to escape a pandemic stricken world, evolved into one of the most experimental and productive periods in the band’s career to date. The group emerged from their shared mansion in Temecula, California with an album that manages to remain in touchpoint to the music that made them the global powerhouse they are today, whilst also welcoming into the fold a new generation of fans.

It may be true that Papa Roach relinquished some of that hardcore ‘edge’ on recent albums, but worry not, because opening track Kill The Noise is very much a return to form. Consisting of Papa Roach’s trademark anthemic melodies and their indomitable spirit, the track is a purposeful statement to introduce the record. Up next, the band deliver a certified moshpit igniter with Stand Up, followed by the infectious attitude of Swerve, which is brimming with boastful confidence. The manic energy of Bloodline is a spontaneous change of pace, before the group gets experimental with Bollywood-style instrumentation on Liar. A driving bass line throttles forward the emblematic title track, prior to a transition into the rap-infused Unglued, which could easily have found its way onto one of Papa Roach’s early records.

Whether it be through a pair of headphones, loaded into your car stereo, or blasting out of the living room speakers, Papa Roach’s music has that special quality of making you feel like you are right there with them in the front row; their 11th studio album Ego Trip achieves no less.

Shaddix shines on the emotionally weighted and painfully revealing Dying To Believe, which showcases the band exploring bold new production techniques; Killing Time further elaborates on these contemporary studio effects. In a moment of fearless sincerity, Leave A Light On leverages serene melodies on the back of symphonic strings to create a lush and beautiful soundscape. The band lean into their pop-punk sensibilities to perform Always Wondering and No Apologies, before driving up the momentum on Cut The Line. On closer I Surrender, the album’s themes find resolution, with the song perfectly encapsulating and linking together the band’s past, present and future in one brilliant passage – “I can’t just let the broken record spin on, and on, and on again. I can’t run from who I’ve been, I surrender.” Whether it be through a pair of headphones, loaded into your car stereo, or blasting out of the living room speakers, Papa Roach’s music has that special quality of making you feel like you are right there with them in the front row; their 11th studio album Ego Trip achieves no less.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Kill The Noise, Stand Up, I Surrender
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