Instant Impressions: 'Hell is in Your Head' by Senses Fail

After four long years, post-hardcore heroes Senses Fail have returned with their new full-length album Hell is in Your Head. The band’s previous album, 2018’s If There is Light, It Will Find You, saw a return to form in the eyes of fans, with the band’s newly energized embrace of their classic emo pop-punk sound after a brief transitory state with the much heavier albums Renacer (2013) and Pull the Thorns From Your Heart (2015). A follow-up was anticipated not too much later, with the title of Hell is in Your Head being revealed in early 2019 and recording starting in January 2020. Unfortunately, it was shelved for what felt like forever due to the COVID pandemic and the shutdowns of live music preventing bands from being able to go on tour and promote their albums. Now, the time has finally come.

According to vocalist and lyricist Buddy Nielsen, Hell is in Your Head is a conceptual continuation of Senses Fail’s 2006 masterpiece Still Searching, also containing themes from the poems “The Waste Land” by T.S. Eliot, “To Think of Time” by Walt Whitman, and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost.” Full disclosure, I’ve been a Senses Fail fan for almost a decade now, with Still Searching being my first and favorite album from them – when I heard that this new release would be following that storyline again, I’m sure you can imagine my excitement.

If the preliminary singles “Lush Rimbaugh,” “Death by Water,” “I’m Sorry I’m Leaving,” and “End of the World/A Game of Chess” are anything to go by, then I anticipate that this will be a listen that was well worth the wait and my real-time reactions below will hopefully reflect that. Time to find out:

1. The Burial of the Dead (3:18)

• I’m trying to think of “The Priest and the Matador” (the closing track to Still Searching), and this does feel like a fitting way to begin the next chapter of this story, both musically and lyrically
• The best words I can use to describe this are “subdued” and “brooding” – for some reason, those are the first words that come to mind
• Normally I’m not a fan of droning or ringing sounds for the last 10-15 seconds of songs, but this perfectly transitions into the next song, so I won’t stay mad at this

2. End of the World/A Game of Chess (3:56)

• When this single was released, it reminded me of the band Speak the Truth… Even if Your Voice Shakes, Nielsen’s side project with the musicians from Finch
• The guest vocals from Connie Sgarbossa from SeeYouSpaceCowboy helped add more emphasis during the second half of the bridge, nice touch
• I read somewhere that Nielsen thinks this is his favorite Senses Fail song, or the best song the band’s made – do I agree with that? It’s not my favorite personally, but it’s still a great track that’s worthy of being a single. I hear songs about breaking cycles and the passing-down of generational trauma all the time, but not with the same sense of urgency as this one, and that alone is deserving of attention

3. The Fire Sermon (3:25)

• One of my favorite things about Senses Fail’s music is that a lot of their songs have this upbeat and fun sound to it, but then you listen to the lyrics and feel the complete opposite. I live for this kind of juxtaposition
• I love the backing guitars during the chorus *chef’s kiss*

4. I Am Error (3:52)

• Lyrically, this definitely feels like something that could’ve been on If There is Light, It Will Find You – it reminds me of the song ““You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense,”” in particular
• I know not every song on an album can be a single, but I’m honestly surprised that this wasn’t one

5. Death By Water (3:49)

• Right off the bat, the guitar arrangements in the intro sound like the second part of the chorus of “I Am Error,” and now I’m curious if that’s why they were put next to each other on the album
• This song’s been out since last fall but I never get tired of it, no matter how much I listen to it
• For those who don’t know, Ice Nine Kills is one of my favorite bands, so to hear Spencer Charnas do guest vocals on this blows my mind – he has the perfect voice for that section, and to hear two artists I love collaborate like this is just awesome

6. What The Thunder Said (4:27)

• In case you couldn’t tell by now, I try to listen for similarities and make comparisons to previous songs when I hear new music from a band I really enjoy – I’m trying to think of a Senses Fail song that reminds me of this, but I can’t think of anything, and I mean that in the best way possible
• The drums during the bridge really threw me for a loop, wasn’t ready for that – in theory, it probably shouldn’t work for a song like this, but somehow it does, and I love how they were able to pull that off

7. Miles To Go (3:11)

• Both musically and lyrically, this sounds like a mix between “Gold Jacket, Green Jacket” and “Ancient Gods” from If There is Light, It Will Find You
• Feels nostalgic and anxious about the future at the same time

8. Lush Rimbaugh (3:13)

• I was surprised to see this on the tracklist when the album was announced, because I thought it was just a one-off single
• I think it’s such a power move that they just had a song ready to drop the day Rush Limbaugh died, I can’t help but respect it
• I like how at the end of the day, this song isn’t about politics at all – according to Nielsen, it’s about getting back the same energy that you put out into the world and karma getting you, and I think this is a metaphor that’ll resonate with a lot of people

9. Hell is in Your Head (3:03)

• Love the chorus – I think we’ve all been asked or have asked ourselves “what’s wrong with me?” at some point in our lives, so it’s nice to hear a song echo that same question
• I know the song’s about being a cyberchondriac, but I interpret it as general trepidation or anxiety, the feeling of just being too wrapped up in your own head about things
• Even though they’re COMPLETELY different songs, the chorus reminds me of the chorus to “Still Searching,” both musically and lyrically – it’s almost as if this is what “Still Searching” would sound like if it was written today, which shows that while there are some consistent qualities, Senses Fail isn’t the same exact band it was 15 years ago. That could also be a huge reach though, what do I know?

10. I’m Sorry I’m Leaving (3:12)

• Here’s yet another comparison – musically, this sounds like if “Bloody Romance” was written today. How’s that?
• I’ve always loved how the drums sounded on Senses Fail’s albums, mainly the snares, but the bass and toms are what stick out to me on this track (especially the first chorus/second verse)

11. Grow Away From Me (6:13)

• Over the last few Senses Fail albums (until 2013’s Renacer, at the very least), it’s become an unspoken rule that the last song has to be an epic, grandiose, emotional closer
• This song clearly understood the assignment
• The way it crescendos and descends is really smooth, and it might be my favorite closing song from the last four albums (currently tied with the title track to If There is Light, It Will Find You)

I’m not sure where to begin with my overall thoughts on the album, because there’s so much going on with it. Buddy Nielsen has always been very transparent with his lyrics and he’s revealed so much about his personal life and the way he thinks and feels through the songs he’s written, so even though the Still Searching fan in me wanted to make connections and figure out what’s going on with the story side of the album, I couldn’t help but take the lyrics at face value on the first listen and understand how it pertains to Nielsen’s current personal life as a husband and father. He wears his anxieties on his sleeve, from trying to keep being able to support his family with the band he created to leaving his children when he goes on tour to just being dismayed with the world – not only is this transparency commendable, it’s also relatable.

With Hell is in Your Head, Nielsen and Senses Fail made an album that can truly resonate with people from all stages of life – whether you’re in mourning, worried about time passing too fast, uneasy about the future, simply insecure, etc., you’ll be able to find something to connect with on this album.

Despite the predominately casual nature of this writeup, I do want to take the time to point out how much I appreciate all the attention to detail that Nielsen and Senses Fail have put into this album, from the musical composition itself to the cover artwork. The lyrics alone have so many layers, from the personal significance to Nielsen to the continuity with the Still Searching narrative to the poetic references, that I’ll have to listen through the album several times just to begin scratching the surface of picking up on everything. Seeing all these attributes come together to form a cohesive album like this is awesome, and my only complaint is that it ends too soon. Here's to hoping they’ll re-release this album a year later with six or more previously unreleased bonus tracks like what happened with Still Searching in 2007, but in the meantime, this record will be on repeat for a while.

Though they’ll probably change in time, here are my top 3 standout tracks:

-       The Fire Sermon

-       I Am Error

-       Hell is in Your Head

Senses Fail is now on tour with Rise Against and The Used until August 18th. For dates and ticket information, click here.

If you listened along and want to buy and/or stream Hell is in Your Head, click here.

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