The Hara released new album The Fallout on January 23 through Mascot Records.
“I wear my skin like a trophy so they give a fuck about me” is the first lines we hear from opener Trophy and it’s extremely impactful. There’s some nice instrumentation to be heard before the first verse starts but I like the understated instrumentation in the verses to allow the lyrics to shine through.
I get a strong modern Bring Me The Horizon vibe with Easier to Die, particularly with the clean vocals over a soft rock drums and the “too much time inside my head” hook is catchy before some cutting screams for the chorus, which ends with a very relatable lyric in “it’s easier to die than it is to wanna live.”
Now this is my first album review of 2026 and it’s the first that’s reduced me to tears with Twist the Arrows. The synth opening – which is again very reminiscent of BMTH – gives a hint to a more emotionally vulnerable song and Josh Taylor’s softer vocals really highlight the lyrical content which hit me really hard.
Psycho Killer was probably the downside of the album for me. There’s nothing inherently bad about it, it just didn’t grab me like the other tracks have done. It did give me a feeling of being in the mind of a psycho killer as it was very erratic, which is good songwriting but I just felt it wasn’t hitting me as hard as the rest of the album.
The lyrics in Bury Me remind me a lot of my teenage years and are written well to evoke emotion, talking about self medicating to feel something and struggling with the thoughts in your head. The increase in intensity from the drums adds to the emotion in the vocal delivery towards the end works really well.
Violence has the only guest feature with Bethany Hunter Jimenez from As December Falls. Her vocals work really well with Josh’s and the breakdown and guitar work in the track is great. It’s one of the standouts.
The last two tracks on the album – International Sabotage and Enemy – give the feeling of a spiral into a panic attack due to everything going on in the world around you with the rapid delivery, and simple hooks. They’re good songs and I like the way it’s done.
For me, the lyrical content and delivery is what stands out most throughout the album, although of course I have to celebrate drummer Jack Kennedy and guitarist Zack Breen for their talent at ensuring that no matter what is going on vocally, they perfectly highlight it.
And of course, deliver their own standout moments when needed, including Zack’s guitar work at the end of Twist the Arrows and Jack’s drums in Stay and the breakdown in The System.
The synths used fall on the right side for me as it’s usually hit and miss as to whether there’s synths for the sake of synths or not, but in The Fallout, The Hara have used just the right amount to enhance the tracks.
Anyone who is a fan of Bring Me The Horizon will definitely love this album (I’d be surprised if you didn’t). And I think The Fallout by The Hara is an early contender for albums of the year 2026.
