Album Review: I Can Feel You Forgetting Me by Neon Trees

 Hey everyone, Drake, known online as Urtar Reviews here, and today I'm gonna try out doing an album review for the first time on this blog by reviewing the fourth studio album by the band Neon Trees, I Can Feel You Forgetting Me that came out in 2020. Neon Trees are a band who make 80's synthpop inspired pop and indie rock, who had two massive crossover singles in the early 2010s with Animal and Everybody Talks, and also a minor crossover in 2014 with Sleeping With A Friend. I really enjoy their music, and while I'm not crazy about their debut album Habits from 2010, still a good album though, their second album Picture Show from 2012 and their third album from 2014, Pop Psychology were amazing albums. So how is I Can Feel You Forgetting Me, their comeback album after a long hiatus? Well, as I have alluded to before on this blog, I Can Feel You Forgetting Me by Neon Trees is one of my favorite albums of all time and probably my album of the year 2020, and easily their best album to date. The groove are phenomenal all the way through, Tyler Glenn puts his all into every single song with so much emotional presence and power to sell the lyrics perfectly, and I love the breakup arc with the narrator going more crazy as the album goes on, until it all culminating in the closing track New Best Friend where he admits that crazy is his new best friend. And the songs before it are a mixture of everything he's trying to do to get over her, none of it working, and just how miserable he is because his heart has been broken and he's having trouble moving on. I get why someone would find this album a bit overdramatic but for me the narrative works so well, and as I said earlier this thing has nonstop bangers. Now I'm gonna do reviews of each song in tracklist order, 

1. Nights 

The opening song and it's one of the best. The groove is absolutely killer, Tyler Glenn puts his all into this song, and this song just perfectly conveys how hard the nights are because of his broken heart, and all the shit he's doing to his body taking drugs to try to get over her and how he's lying to his friends pretending he's fine when he's not. It does a great job setting up the album's themes and drawing you in to listen to the full album, while also standing alone very well as it's own song. 

2. Used To Like

This was the lead single from the album, and it is also the song I use as the "intro song" for my Throwback Breakdown series. And I do that because this song is my favorite song on the album, and not just that but the best of their career  and one of my favorite songs of all time, easily top 3. The, I assume, synth driving it is so bouncy, and the guitars and drums combine with it perfectly to create one hell of an instrumental. And Tyler Glenn just once again sings his ass out sounding absolutely transcendent with so much emotional presence and charisma. This song is him crying out to her to come back and be with him, and not realizing he's going crazy even though she tells him he is. He's begging her to get back with him. And for most of the song he's optmistic that it can work out, but in the bridge he eventually realizes it's not gonna work and has to come to terms with the fact that she isn't coming back, similar to Save Your Tears by The Weeknd.  But beyond it's place in the album narrative, the big reason why I adore this song so much, is just that it makes me feel so happy, on a level that few songs can.

3. Holy Ghost 

This song is Tyler Glenn coming to terms with the fact that this girl doesn't want him back, following off of the bridge of Used To Like. And yet he still keeps seeing her everywhere, like she's following him.. And while not a top favorite of mine from the album it's still a fantastic song, with a fantastic groove, incredible hook and a great performance from Tyler Glenn. 

4. Skeleton Boy 

This song is Tyler Glenn being depressed trying to get over her and wishing she would come back but knowing she won't and so he thinks that he might as well be dead, a "skeleton boy", a "relic from a former love". And it works very well. And combine that with one hell of a hook and phenomenal instrumentation and you have a fantastic song even if it isn't even in my top tier from the album. 

5. Mess Me Up 

This was one of the other singles from the album, and it seems like an odd choice for one to me, as this is one of the slowest songs on the album, and if you ask me, while it works well in the album context, it doesn't work as well on it's own, which is why it's one of my least favorites. It's just him pleading that his pain won't linger for long. Tyler Glenn's vocals are great and the song is absolutely still great, but it doesn't work as well outside the album context, and it's a bit of a transitional song to the next song, the calm before the storm of... 

6. Living Single 

This is the most dramatic song on the album, and it's one of my favorites. This song is similar to Nights in that it's about just how much his broken heart and the drugs he's taking to get over her are destroying him and making his life miserable, so he is going to break the habit. And Tyler Glenn delivers one of his best ever vocal performances selling every line. And the sound of it just makes the song feel crushing and miserable but also so catchy and beautiful! 

7. Everything Is Killing Me

This is probably the most upbeat song on the album outside of Used To Like, it reminds me of Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People on a musical level but a lot better, and as someone who hates Pumped Up Kicks, it's one of my favorites. It's Tyler Glenn being determined to quit his bad habits of drugs and constantly looking at his phone to see messages from his ex and from friends, because he knows they're killing him and he needs to survive. Combine that with one of the best grooves on the album and you have one hell of an indie rock tune. 

8. Going Through Something

This is my least favorite on the album, although I still think it's pretty good. It's got a solid groove, a catchy hook and great vocals from Tyler Glenn as usual, but it just doesn't do anything lyrically that hasn't been done by other songs before it on the album and if I had to cut any song from the album I would cut this without second thought. It's also the weakest song musically, although still good. 

9. When The Night Is Over 

Similar to the last song this doesn't really add anything lyrically to the narrative that earlier songs haven't but unlike Going Through Something it has a fantastic groove so it is a better song in my opinion. 

10. New Best Friend 

This is the closing track and the second single from the album, and it is one hell of a closer. This song is Tyler Glenn reflecting on the good times they had together and realizing how crazy he is and admitting that crazy is his new best friend, and that he's falling apart with the drugs and how he can't move on. And he just sounds like he's going crazy with his performance, selling it out the roof. But the highlight of this song is that after the 2nd chorus, the song slows down and seems like it's gonna end, but NOPE it doesn't, it suddenly rises in power and GOES ALL OUT CRAZY with the CRAZIEST MOMENT ON THE WHOLE ALBUM repeating the chorus again but with twice the power and it closes the album out with a BANG! So yeah probably my 2nd favorite on the album behind Used To Like and one of this band's best ever songs. 

In conclusion, I Can Feel You Forgetting Me by Neon Trees is a very cohesive album with a very strong narrative from song to song about a man struggling to get over a breakup, with hooks for days, banger after banger, consistently phenomenal vocal performances. And even the worst songs on it are very good. I can't really think of any issues I have with this album so it is getting a 10 out of 10 from me. One of my favorite albums ever and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone. 

I Can Feel You Forgetting Me - Neon Trees

Best songs: Used To Like, New Best Friend, Living Single, Everything Is Killing Me, Skeleton Boy, basically every other song except the "Worst Song" below

"Worst" song: Going Through Something

10/10

Thanks for reading this review! Urtar Reviews signing out! I'll see you next time!