Track-by-Track: 'Greetings From Suffocate City' by The Funeral Portrait

In recent years, one of active rock’s brightest prospects has been The Funeral Portrait — with a knack for catchy songwriting and a clever eye for theatrics, the Georgia-based emo group has cultivated an incredibly loyal fanbase while climbing their way to continued commercial success. A full decade since the band’s formation (not including the time spent under the former name Cosmoscope), The Funeral Portrait is almost a completely different band today compared to the release of their 2016 debut album A Moment of Silence. To go along with the sonic shift from a post-hardcore sound to the alternative emo-rock we hear from them today, there’s also been a few lineup changes over the years, resulting in frontman Lee Jennings being the sole original member. However, the band is also the tightest unit it’s ever been, with bassist Rob Weston, guitarist/auxiliary musician Caleb Freihaut, drummer Homer Umbanhower, and guitarist Cody Weissinger rounding out the lively and passionate sonic energy that fans have come to know and love over the course of the last few years.

The Funeral Portrait’s sophomore full-length release has been a long time coming, with the writing process having started as early as 2018, and the first taste of the new music coming in the form of the single “Holy Water” in 2019. After the COVID pandemic put the world to a halt, the band started to slowly unravel the rest of the singles as the music industry started to open its doors again, starting with “Voodoo Doll” in August 2022. The single went viral on social media, kickstarting a wave of momentum that would only increase with each successive single release. In the time that followed the release of “Voodoo Doll” and preceded the announcement of the album, the band would end up consistently releasing bangers like “Dark Thoughts,” “Generation Psycho,” and my personal favorite of the bunch, “Alien.” This spring and summer saw the release of “You’re So Ugly When You Cry” (featuring Bert McCracken of the legendary group The Used), “Suffocate City” (featuring Spencer Charnas from the iconic metalcore band Ice Nine Kills), and the final single came in the form of “Blood Mother,” which was released on the same day the full album was announced (which was also the kickoff of their summer support tour with the rock titans Five Finger Death Punch and Marilyn Manson).

This fall, Greetings from Suffocate City was officially released, marking the end of the six-year wait for The Funeral Portrait’s sophomore record. Below are my general thoughts while listening through the album around the time of its release — feel free to listen along and follow the track-by-track reaction.

1. Suffocate City (ft. Spencer Charnas) (3:34)

• It’s easy to hear why this was made the opening track — it’s not only a great introductory track in the sense of the worldbuilding that the band’s been working on, but it’s musically just a great way to kick off the album

  • Can confirm it’s also a great opening track for their live shows

• There’s something about this song, especially the chorus, that reminds me of “Famous Last Words” by My Chemical Romance, but in a more upbeat context

• As a bona fide sucker for all things Ice Nine Kills and anything Spencer Charnas puts his stamp on, along with already being a big fan of The Funeral Portrait, it was a giant bonus to hear Charnas on a song like this

  • The music video is a ton of fun too

2. Blood Mother (3:17)

• I feel like the band’s Georgia roots are on display with this song — there’s something about the rhythm and stompy nature of the song that feels like it has some Southern influences
• The bassline in the verses might be my favorite part of the whole song
• While it’s not my favorite single, it’s still a great song and more catchy than I expected — there have been several moments I’ve randomly had the chorus stuck in my head, and it’s a fun live track too

3. Doom and Gloom (3:19)

• The drums and staccato strumming of the guitars in the verse is a great way to get the song started after the intro, and I love the addition of acoustic guitars in the pre-chorus
• From a musical standpoint, this is definitely a standout track for me — Freihaut’s auxiliary work during the post-chorus is downright hypnotic and hands-down my favorite aspect of the entire song
• I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something very Danny Elfman-esque about this song, particularly during the post-chorus — so much so that I’ve been sent down another rabbit hole of relistening to the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack as a result of having this song on repeat
• I’m really glad that this song got a music video, and I’m even more happy to see that it’s all live footage from their summer tour — for this song, having a video like that just seems perfect

4. Holy Water (3:00)

• I see this track as the kickoff of the current wave of the band and their lore, and it really sets the tone for what we’ve come to know and love from this wave of new music so far
• The lyrical message about the lengths one would go through to “make it” in the industry is a compelling and relevant topic in today’s world, and what’s even more impressive is how the band was able to adapt it to fit with their aesthetic and overall identity
• I also prefer this re-recorded version to the original single version — there’s something that feels slightly more hard-hitting and edgy in this version, which is most evident in the chorus

5. Dark Thoughts (ft. Danny Worsnop) (4:01)

• I would put this up with “Alien” as my favorite single — both musically and lyrically, it just hits the mark on so many levels
• I wasn’t sure what to expect from Danny Worsnop’s feature, but his voice fits with the song very well, along with meshing well with Jennings’ voice during the chorus
• While I’m used to the regularly single version without Worsnop’s contribution, it’s still very cool to hear someone like him on a track like this

6. You’re So Ugly When You Cry (ft. Bert McCracken) (3:23)

• This is another one that sneaks up on you in terms of catchiness — everything in this song, from the verse to the chorus to the guitar solo has the potential to get stuck in your head
• Knowing how much Jennings loves The Used, I can’t imagine his excitement at the fact that he now has their vocalist on one of his own songs

7. Chernobyl (3:21)

• Much like “Doom and Gloom,” this feels like another musical standout to me, with the industrial elements and signature TFP catchiness
• It’s times like these where I can’t imagine how difficult it was to select singles for this album, because they truly could have picked any song and it would’ve been a home run — there hasn’t been a single weak song yet
• Having seen them opening for Marilyn Manson, I feel like this song would’ve been a very fitting addition to the setlist for a support slot like that from a sonic perspective

8. Dopamine (3:45)

• I’ve heard a small handful of artists discuss the concept of love addiction in interviews here and there, but I’m having a hard time remembering off the top of my head if any of them have ever written about it
• As someone who grew up on classic rock, I’m instantly reminded of Queen and Freddie Mercury with Jennings’ vocal performance on this song
• Much like with most, if not all, of the songs on this album, I feel like this will quickly become a fan favorite despite the fact that it wasn’t a single

9. Voodoo Doll (ft. Eva Under Fire) (3:57)

• As far as singles go, this rounds out my top 3 along with “Alien” and “Dark Thoughts”
• It was a super smart decision to have this be the first single after the pandemic — it has this otherworldly feeling from beginning to end, which is largely due to Freihaut’s work on the synths and other auxiliary instruments
• If this song needed a feature, Eva Marie from Eva Under Fire was the perfect guest to have — her voice is incredible on its own, works extremely well with Jennings’, and I envy everyone who was able to see them perform this song live together

10. Happier Than You (3:11)

• I didn’t realize just how heavy the intro was until it was halfway over, but the drums and bass really accentuate the low end and make it feel as heavy as it is
• Probably the catchiest chorus on the whole album so far
• It’s not the shortest song on the album, but it feels like it because it really flies by — I could’ve sworn “Holy Water” was longer than this, but I was shocked to discover that “Holy Water” is actually the shortest track

11. Alien (4:11)

• Jennings’ vocal performance on this song reminds me of Crash Love-era Davey Havok, particularly in the verses and in the way he ends certain phrases — knowing that he’s also an AFI fan, I can’t help but wonder if that was a conscious influence during the making of this song
• Aside from the obvious lyrical relatability that can resonate with everyone, this song slightly reminds me of “Dark Thoughts” in the sense that it takes an Alkaline Trio-esque approach in which the general darkness of the lyrics isn’t replicated musically, but instead is presented in an accessible and almost uplifting tone, giving the listener a better feeling than simple commiseration
• This wasn’t on the setlist when I saw them over the summer, but I’m crossing my fingers that it’ll make it next time

12. Generation Psycho (3:52)

• I’ve always wondered if the extensive outro of “Alien” indicated that it was connected to the following track and they would flow from one to the other, but I also wasn’t expecting the following track to be a single that I was already familiar with
• It’s surprising to hear this song so late in the album — it has the energy of an opening track, or at least one that would be on the front half of the record, which makes a lot of sense given that there was a time in which the album was going to be called Generation Psycho
• Between Weissinger’s harsh backing vocals and Freihaut’s cleans and auxiliary instrumentation, this song is another that has this larger than life sonic tone to it, and once again it’s easy to understand why this was wisely made a single in anticipation of the album

13. Stay Weird (3:29)

• This is a song that works either completely unplugged with piano and acoustic guitars, or with the full band like this recording — both versions have their merit, but I’m glad the whole band is involved because it feels much more epic that way
• It’s hard not to be reminded of the bands that were mainstays during the glory days of Warped Tour, because lyrically this fits right in with the “elder emo” demographic — with Warped coming back next year, it would make perfect sense for this band to be on the lineup
• I can’t get over just how big and anthemic this song sounds — not only is it a phenomenal album-closer, but I can already see this being a great way to end their live show as well

14. Hearse For Two (3:29)

• It’s nice to have a bonus track right out of the gate as opposed to a year or two later on a deluxe edition re-release (though I wouldn’t be upset at all if this album does end up getting a deluxe edition if that means we’ll finally get to hear “Angel Wings,” just putting that out there)
• I was partly anticipating this to be a piano ballad, but again I’m glad to hear the whole band here because it gives the song a bigger energy without being overbearingly heavy
• Much like with “Stay Weird” and a good chunk of the album, it’s easy to hear and understand how personal the subject of the song is to Jennings, and he does an amazing job of getting his emotions across musically in an authentic way
• This is another track that will end up being a live highlight whenever it’s on the setlist

Despite the six years it took for this album to be completed and released, The Funeral Portrait did such a fantastic job of reinventing themselves and taking advantage of the circumstances around them to make the best album they possibly could, and they proved that the wait was beyond worth it. Between the gap in releases and the complete sonic shift in tone, it’s easy to understand why the band is promoting this as their “second debut album,” which is a totally valid marketing method — they’ve gained so many new fans from this album’s singles, and many of them may not even be familiar with A Moment of Silence, so in some ways it really is their introduction to the world as the first release under this current lineup and the first with this new sonic identity that the quintet has forged together.

It’s honestly a shame that not every song on this album can be made a single, because they’re all strong enough to stand on their own. While I understand the marketing demands of having to release so many singles before the release of a full album, I normally dislike when half of an album is already given away like that and I miss the days where it was just one or two singles before an album. However, I don’t mind that I was already familiar with most of this album in advance, because there’s not a single song on here that doesn’t have its own distinct identity. No two songs sound even remotely close to each other, but they’re all equally strong and solid enough to simply make it a toss-up as far as which ones should be chosen as singles.

For those who don’t know, The Funeral Portrait has been on my radar for a couple years now — having gotten into them in the spring of 2022, I finally was able to see them live over the summer at Marilyn Manson’s first headlining show of the summer tour in Silver Spring, MD, and I can confirm that their live show, whether they’re opening or headlining, is equally as gripping as this album. The band had a lot of experience playing in big spaces this summer on the road with their labelmates in Five Finger Death Punch, and this new album sounds like it’s meant to be played in those spaces. I’ll always love seeing bands like them in small and intimate venues, but the fact of the matter is this album, both in writing and production, is wall to wall with songs that sound like they’re made for theaters and arenas.

My devotion to this band’s music is well documented, but it’s not at all exaggeration when I say that Greetings from Suffocate City is on the shortlist for the best album of the year — 2024 has been an absolutely tremendous year for music, but The Funeral Portrait have seriously struck gold with this record. It’s one of the strongest albums from front to back that I’ve heard in a long time, and they’ve set the bar so high that their next album will be even more anticipated than this one (let’s just hope it takes at least half the time to come out instead of another half a decade).

The Funeral Portrait have had a very successful year, and this new album is the culmination of all the years of grinding that they’ve done to get to this point, and just one listen will make it clear that their success is well deserved. Ending the year at the highest point that the band has ever been, they’ve set themselves up for an even more prosperous 2025, and it’s going to be very interesting to see what they achieve next year. Until the next album, I’ll be looking forward to seeing them play at Welcome to Rockville in Daytona Beach, FL this coming spring, and I can’t recommend seeing them enough if they’re playing in your area. To see their tour dates for next year, click here.

While it’s insanely difficult to narrow it down, my top 3 standout tracks from Greetings from Suffocate City are:

• Doom and Gloom
• Chernobyl
• Alien

If you listened along and also enjoyed the album, you can buy/stream Greetings from Suffocate City here.

To keep up with The Funeral Portrait, click here.

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