“We’re in a weird time of life.”

“Weird!” is an album all about acceptance. Whether a person is struggling with sexuality, an addiction, or even a relationship, YUNGBLUD’s album is there to help them through it. YUNGBLUD himself told People that: 

“This is a record about life. Embrace the strange, celebrate the abnormal, and be f—ing weird as f—.” 

The brand of “YUNGBLUD” is not only artist Dominic Harrison. It also includes his fans, his music, his problems, his style, and just about  “whatever you want it to be,” YUNGBLUD told SPIN. 

Harrison makes sure that people feel welcome to the “weird!” album in their own skins on every song. Each track is either a story of his own or a fan’s story. The best story I have read so far was the story behind a track titled “mars.” Harrison uses this song to tell the story of a young trans fan who was not fully accepted by her parents until she met YUNGBLUD at the concert she attended with them. He explained to NME:

“She told me how her parents had come to the show with her, and how seeing our community helped them to understand that her coming out as trans wasn’t just a phase— this is who she really was…It made me cry to think that we could have that kind of impact and change people’s perceptions, just by being ourselves.” 

Overall, I think my personal favorite songs are “the freak show” and “charity.” These two songs, for me, seem to bring out the most emotions as they are very relatable. They explore emotions that most people feel at least once in their lives. First off is “charity,” a song about finding oneself and being overwhelmed by the advice of others. However, on the opposite side of the spectrum, is “the freak show” which seems to be about losing oneself. While each has their own style, both songs are so vital to this idea of acceptance.

I would highly recommend that you take a listen to “weird!” If not for YUNGBLUD, then for Machine Gun Kelly, Travis Barker and Dan Reynolds who are featured on the album. However, those features will not be the only things drawing you back in time and time again as YUNGBLUD’s message of inclusion and acceptance outshines any song or feature on the album. 

“weird!” is available on all streaming platforms now.

Featured Image courtesy of Joanna Tzortzis via Flickr Creative Commons