Eat Your Heart Out – Can’t Stay Forever (Album Review)

Posted on September 7, 2022 by Tamara May

Eat Your Heart Out – Can’t Stay Forever
Released: September 9, 2022

Line-up:

Caitlin Henry // vocals
Andrew Anderson // guitar
Will Moore // guitar
Dom Cant // bass
Jake Cronin // drums

Online

When Eat Your Heart Out dropped their debut full-length, Florescence back in 2019, it opened up an eye-opening new chapter for them. The Newcastle emo/pop punkers gave us much insight into what their Aussie twang on an Americanised genre could ultimately sound like. While it’s been some time away, thankfully the five-piece haven’t given up hope in the midst of a two-year pandemic. On their sophomore follow-up, Can’t Stay Forever it’s pretty easy to see that Eat Your Heart Out are here for a good time, and hopefully a long time.

Opening track ‘Forget Me‘ picks up where Florescence left us with vocalist Caitlin Henry’s almost soft yet subtle voice. As she sings, “I’m still right here…” gently reminding the listener that Eat Your Heart Out are alive and ready to give us their absolute all. Can’t Stay Forever really ups the ante on ‘Down‘ though. It’s a similar powerful style we heard on ‘Closer to the Sun‘; those fiery emo/pop punk elements that we’ve heard on the genre’s heavyweights are so evident here. This song marks the band’s strongest track by far and has us hitting repeat on this stellar tune.

As we roll into ‘Scissors in My Skin‘, the band’s uniquely Australian twist on alternative/punk shines brighter than ever. It’s clear to see here that they’ve honed in on their sound, sparking inspiration from 2000s Australian rock act Killing Heidi and giving us what feels like a contemporary example of Australian indie rock. Between this song and the punk anthem ‘Twenty Something‘, you could easily see these Newcastle rockers on the festival circuit around the country this summer, giving the next generation of moshers something to celebrate. We’d love to see it!

Throughout Can’t Stay Forever, Caitlin really looked into uncovering her self-worth and while this was super clear on ‘Twenty Something‘, I gotta highlight on another absolute standout. ‘Hostage‘ comes in with quite the punchy intro and Henry’s vocals here are more defined than we’ve ever heard before. It’s easily Eat Your Heart Out’s catchiest track yet — featuring a nostalgic riff and an almost-angsty Avril Lavigne demeanour. While ‘Blood‘ sees the band head down post-hardcore/emo territory, it is leading single ‘Sour‘ that best represents who Eat Your Heart Out are in 2022. That grungey Australian rock simmering away is evident that the band are holding up the reputation of their hometown for bringing out some of the best rock acts that Australia has seen.

‘Poison Devotion‘ is a slow acoustic jam reminiscent of ‘Pear Tree‘ which beautifully highlights Henry’s sultry vocals. While ‘Deep End‘ is all about the feeling of letting go of your fears and doubts and best defines the album’s persona of Can’t Stay Forever, it is the album closer that gives us newfound confidence in the band today. ‘Headfirst‘ is a soaring emo/rock number that almost has a subtle Holding Absence sound about it.

Can’t Stay Forever is a reminder that nothing is permanent and we all just have to do our best in everything we set our minds to, and that’s what Eat Your Heart Out have done here. Their sophomore effort is their most defined sound yet — and is a well-rounded musical representation of their music. Whether you’re here for the catchy pop punkier anthems or the band’s uniquely Australian brand of emo/rock, Can’t Stay Forever has something for every kinda music fan.