SINGLE REVIEW: The Used brings high emotions in new single "MEDZ".

Earlier this week, The Used began teasing a new release nearly a year after their last album “Toxic Positivity” dropped. Fans were immediately excited for the new release from the band, which dropped today - Friday, May 17th, after only a few days of having to wait. The single is the title track featured on their upcoming B-Sides album that has a release date of June 21st.

As long as they’ve been making music, The Used has been able to craft heavy emotions and topics that can be difficult to bear into emotional, driven tracks that fans everywhere can hold close to them and new single “MEDZ” isn’t any different. As indicated by the title, this track takes you through the emotions of feeling like medication isn’t helping, struggling with self worth, and navigating through life when it feels like you’re stuck in a loop of darkness. Typical to the lyricism of The Used, the band finds the perfect way to make it easier for listeners to relate to feelings that can often be hard to think about on your own. For long-time fans of The Used, “MEDZ” has a nostalgic feel as if it was plucked directly from an older album of theirs and remastered to fit with their newer 2024 sound as heard in their last album. 

Despite the buoyant sound of the track, the lyrics immediately tap into feelings of failure and feeling like nothing is going your way. The way the song and melody pair together, the song immediately captures anyone who might relate to the somber lyrics, and creates a sense of relation to the struggles that are being presented. As the song progresses, you begin to feel the emotions of the lyrics more and more, connecting with vocalist Bert McCracken who beautifully takes you through the laid out path of battle within the song. Although the theme of the song is something that can be difficult to tackle, those listening who have felt the way the lyricist felt will immediately feel understood, especially as the song touches on the struggles of being an adult and feeling like you’re stuck in an endless darkness. 

“Everyone around me seems to know how to live” / “Everything I touch turns to dust, everything I feel is way too much” 

As it progresses, the track continues to relate back to its title; sharing lyrics such as “the medication isn’t working, the medication doesn’t work” paired with screams that perfectly match the essence of the song. The emotions and stipulations that “MEDZ” covers is somehow fresh for the band while still being perfectly similar to tracks they’ve dropped in the past. Although reminiscing on thoughts of struggle can be difficult, the song creates an air that someone has also gone through the same darkness as you. The song finds a way to take you through feelings of self doubt all with seemingly no end, all while giving you a melody that will get caught in your head. The more you listen to the song, the more it feels like something The Used may have released with one of their first albums, creating a sense of full circle feeling for the band's discography, especially if you’ve been listening to them for a while. 

Regardless of if you’re just now finding the band or have been listening for a while, “MEDZ” is a track that perfectly captures the essence of The Used.