To follow up on “Dawn of the Freak,” Joachim Liebens’s project adopts a more direct approach to deliver a full range of emotions.
A dizzying scream closes an eight-minute track under high tension, titled In My Head, which signals the pivot: The Haunted Youth has shifted toward rage. If the project led by Belgian Joachim Liebens preserves the dark-pop thread of Dawn of the Freak, his debut album released in 2022, Boys Cry Too is much more upfront.
In this new installment, The Haunted Youth pushes the sliders toward its grunge heritage (Castlevania), even if it dives into a controlled fury (Deathwish) and occasionally a slightly pastiche vibe (Falling to Pieces).
How to surface again?
Yet, through Boys Cry Too, the group manages to subtly address the fragility of mental and physical health teetering on the edge of the abyss. The album paints the walls and the doleful landscapes into which it allows itself to drift; the wind blowing through the gaps (Hurt) and the dark thoughts that cluster (Murder Me). Through this maelstrom, The Haunted Youth maintains its post-punk and emo tics, claimed on Emo Song, perhaps to reach the emotional marrow.
As the tracks unfold, the record opens like recounting a climb back to the surface until the first breath above water is felt. In search of a rawer and livelier sound, the Belgian group even offers a personal reimagining of skate-punk—in the footsteps of Green Day—on Forget Me. A way to emerge from the darkness. Much like the serene, acoustic finale with Ghost Girl. Is there light at the end of the tunnel?
Boys Cry Too (PIAS). Released May 8.
