Reviews

The Goo Goo Dolls “Chaos In Bloom” Album Review

Chaos In Bloom

The Goo Goo Dolls

    • Genre: Pop
    • Date: 12 Aug, 2022
    • Content: explicit
    • Region: USA
    • Track(s): 10
  • ℗ 2022 Warner Records Inc.

Chaos in Bloom is The Goo Goo Dolls’ 13th studio album and on the new album, the band continue building upon their musical legacy and unique guitar sound, by sounding more confident than ever before. The stadium-ready choruses and spear-sharp songwriting are underscored by monstrous guitar tones courtesy of front-man and guitarist, John Rzeznik.

You may anticipate that The Goo Goo Dolls would start enjoying life more now that they have been around for four decades and released twelve albums. Even though just two of the original four members are still involved, they don’t seem to be slowing down, as lead singer John Rzeznik produced their thirteenth album, “Chaos In Bloom,” for the first time.

Album Cover Art

The Goo Goo Dolls &Quot;Chaos In Bloom&Quot; Album Review, Yours Truly, Reviews, March 29, 2024

On the cover artwork, we find an animated version of a what appears to be a boy holding up a withering bouquet of flowers over his face. But notice something outstanding about the flowers; as a greater portion of the flowers die and droop downward, the center of flowers seem to be in bloom, weirdly so, which better helps put a fitting image to the album title.

Tracks and Features

The opening track “Yeah, I Like You,” coming in with a jab at egos and the celebrity culture of the modern age, it lures the listener in with Johnny’s signature upbeat acoustic guitar. Not long after, the snare kicks in like a gunshot with the rest of the band coming in at full speed. With a chorus so full of life, the opening track sets out to encapsulate the joy of driving with the windows down during summer and the volume up as loud as possible.

“War” is a building rocker, the shifts dynamics from a darkly melodic verse exploding to an upbeat chorus. “I’m not the enemy/ But darling I do believe that you’ll be the end of me,” he sings on the bridge.

“Save Me From Myself” keeps the energy going, but in much more intimate and acoustic setting. It’s infectious and instantly memorable, with Rzeznik singing of the push and pull of relationships. More than once, he sings of the internal war playing out inside his own psyche. “Let the Sun” begins as a fairly folky acoustic ballad until the band kicks in for the song’s waning moments to take it out on a soaring high note.

Takac takes over the vocal duties on “Loving Life,” a throwback rocker that relies on riffs and big percussive energy. He has a very classic rock sound on his vocal but the song is a little ’90s grunge mixed with ’70s bombast. It’s a fun change of pace. Rzeznik returns for the upbeat and punky “Going Crazy,” which provides some of the most urgent energy on the record.

“Day After Day” is a little more experimental, built on big beats and heavy reverb-laden vocals that make for an expansive atmospheric backdrop. The song jumps between quiet, sometimes whispered verses to a fist-pumping singalong chorus. Takac returns for “Past Mistakes,” another track that digs into ’80s rock, built on heavy melodies. The shared vocals spices things up and throws in variety.

The first true ballad is the piano-driven “You Are the Answer,” an earnest and intimate portrait with Rzeznik on vocals. It’s not overcooked at all, simply with a few atmospheric additions. Goo Goo Dolls close out the album on a more optimistic note with a mid-tempo acoustic track “Superstar.”

Tracklist

NO

TITLE

TIME

1 Yeah, I Like You 4:24
2 War 4:34
3 Save Me From Myself 3:16
4 Let the Sun 3:33
5 Loving Life 3:35
6 Going Crazy 3:58
7 Day After Day 3:27
8 Past Mistakes 3:32
9 You Are the Answer 4:23
10 Superstar 4:31

Album Theme

The album itself has elements that reflect on the world and culture from isolation in periods of lockdown but does not explicitly emphasize this, meaning it can be enjoyed without being taken back into this dark period in human history.

Production Credits

Producers on the album include Brad Fernquist, Chris Szczech, Gregg Wattenberg & John Rzeznik.

Stream

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