Just Like You by Falling In Reverse

Falling In Reverse are a contentious issue for many. They're a bit of a sore spot, like a scab that accidentally happened but you keep picking at it so it sticks around and stays with you in some way or another for longer than you'd like. Okay, so not the nicest of analogies but it's the best way to say that as much hate and criticism Ronnie Radke and co. come under, they're not going away. And with their third album, Just Like You, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

In the lead up to the release of this most anticipated record, Ronnie has been quite vocal about how different this album is to Falling In Reverse's previous two, saying it will shock many listeners. And he's right. It picks up all the bits from 2011's The Drug In Me Is You that were great and drops all the bits of 2013's Fashionably Late that never should have seen the light of day. What the 2015 offering is, is the sound of a more developed band, who have stopped trying to prove a point to the haters and have started making music for themselves (although they'll probably argue they've been doing that all along). It's grown up and honest but still remains comically satisfying with Ronnie teasing us with lyrics like "Like OMG you make you come-come-com-plete" on Sexy Drug.

Just Like You opens strong with Chemical Prisoner. A fade in intro (rare these days) makes for an exciting start and as latest single God If You Are Above... starts you know you are in for a treat. Both songs remain unmistakably Falling In Reverse but have an air of maturity about them which has been lacking in previous records. "I am aware, that I am an arsehole. I really don't care about all of that though. I've got nothing to prove, but honestly I'm just like you." That's the lyric which opens title track Just Like You and it's the most carefree Falling In Reverse have ever sounded. The album has several joyous party rock anthems like this (such as Get Me Out) but as for the rest of the album, the boys from party-central itself, Las Vegas, delve into some heavy noise. Ronnie's whiney vocals become throaty growls and it's definitely a side to this band we haven't seen before. There's far more riffs, far more breakdowns, far more sing-a-long moments and a more appropriate amount of rapping from Ronnie (that's if you ignore Wait And See).

Love them or hate them, this is a triumph for Falling In Reverse. And so it should be. They've worked hard for this so let the praise roll in!

Listen to: Chemical Prisoner, Die For You

7/10