Ray Hawthorne, singer and frontman of North Kingsley – the side project of System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian – has released his first solo EP, Heartbreak Feels Good in a Place Like This, on February 14.
Hailing back to the emo and metalcore of the early to mid 2010’s, it is clear Hawthorne draws his inspiration from bands such as Pierce the Veil, Sleeping With Sirens (more on that later), and other bands of that sound. He is “an eternal emo kid from New Jersey” and is “stepping into a style of music he’s always loved, scene shit from high school” on this release.
The 5-track EP only had one single, Emergency, which came out on January 31st. Being the second track on the EP, we’ll get to that one in a bit.
Starting off is the title track, Heartbreak Feels Good in a Place Like This. In my honest opinion, this is the weakest song off the EP. Not to say it’s bad by any stretch, but being the first track, I didn’t expect that the rest of the EP would be as good as it is. The intro of the song is very solid, it reminds me a bit of the band Hail the Sun. But once the verse hits, that’s where things turn down. The best way I can describe it is similar to the proto-pop punk of Machine Gun Kelly. If that’s your thing, more power to you, it’s not for me. The somewhat cheesy, early 2000’s Avril Lavigne-esque lyrics mixed with a simple chugging riff really do not help this part of the song. However, the chorus is actually fairly catchy. The next verse is better, but still not my cup of tea. Overall, not a terrible song, but not my first choice to listen to out of the five tracks.
Next, the only single released for this EP, Emergency ft. Kellin Quinn. That’s right, the Kellin Quinn of Sleeping With Sirens (hence my little reference to them earlier). Maybe that’s partly why Ray already has over 5,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and the single has over 9,000 streams in only 2 weeks. Now, anything with Kellin adds points in my book, but even disregarding his feature, this is a very good song. The chorus is incredibly strong, the instrumentals are much better than the previous track. There is a point where Kellin and Ray do a harmony before a chorus, and their vocals just compliment each other so well. This was definitely the right choice to make the single. The music video for Emergency, which is a mind trip to say the least – but I love it – can be found here.
Thirdly comes tldr:Goodbye. This song takes a more straightforward punk approach with a hint of a metalcore twist. This is the longest song on the EP, at a whopping 3 minutes 25 seconds. Yeah, the entire EP is only 14:03 long. But Ray manages to pack a lot into that short timespan. There’s not much to be said about this track other than that it’s just good fun punk.
Next, 6hostowns.org/b. Right off the bat, we’re greeted by an amazing metalcore riff, and that vibe prevails throughout the song. It reminds me of A Day To Remember, and as a scene kid at heart, bonus points in my book.
And last but certainly not least, Felt Cute, Might Die Later. Now this might just be my favorite song off the EP, except for maybe Emergency. Blending a bit of everything else that has brewed throughout the rest of the songs, the verse is a bit toned down, until exploding into a massive chorus that ultimately finishes off the EP. I’m a sucker for a nice heavy drop for a chorus.
Overall, Hawthorne’s debut EP calls back to the nostalgia of the metalcore and emo of the mid 2010’s. In this age of the heaviest breakdowns and the deepest growls, it’s refreshing to hear something that brings the genre back to their roots. For anyone looking to relive that, well let’s be honest interesting, era, Heartbreak Feels Good in a Place Like This is a solid choice. Barring my somewhat critical review of the title track, the rest of the EP is surely going on my playlist.
Ray can be found on Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify.
Jamie