Popular Monster (album)

Popular Monster
Studio album by Falling in Reverse
Released	August 16, 2024
Recorded	2018–2023
Length	37:48
Label	Epitaph
Producer	Tyler Smyth Ronnie Radke Charles Massabo
Falling in Reverse studio album chronology
Coming Home (2017) Popular Monster (2024)
Singles from Popular Monster
"Popular Monster" Released: November 20, 2019 "Zombified" Released: January 5, 2022 "Voices in My Head" Released: May 31, 2022 "Watch the World Burn" Released: January 31, 2023 "Last Resort (Reimagined)" Released: June 26, 2023 "Ronald" Released: May 7, 2024 "All My Life" Released: June 6, 2024 "Prequel" Released: August 16, 2024

Popular Monster is the fifth studio album by American rock band Falling in Reverse, released on August 16, 2024, through Epitaph Records. It is the band's first studio album to feature guitarist Max Georgiev, bassist Tyler Burgess and drummer Luke Holland. Derek Jones contributed to the title track and lead single "Popular Monster" before his death in 2020. The album also features rapper Tech N9ne, Slaughter to Prevail vocalist Alex Terrible, who both appeared in the single "Ronald", and country singer Jelly Roll, who appeared in the single "All My Life". The name of the album was taken from the 2019 single and was announced the same day as "Ronald" was released, on May 7, 2024. It is also the band's first album in seven years, since Coming Home.

Background

After Falling in Reverse released Coming Home in 2017, they would start releasing several non-album singles, and they also faced a lineup instability. They changed drummers before settling with Luke Holland in 2021. Christian Thompson left in 2018 before returning in 2020, while Tyler Burgess and Max Georgiev both joined in 2018. The band released two non-singles, titled "Losing My Mind" and "Losing My Life" in 2018. They also released "Drugs" in 2019, featuring Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor.

The band released "Popular Monster" on November 20, 2019, and it became a massive hit, gaining over 43 million streams and becoming the band's most well known single of their career; the band would also get them their first-ever platinum certified single. Rhythm guitarist Derek Jones, who has been in the band since its formation in 2008, died on April 21, 2020, from subdural hematoma. "Popular Monster" was his final contribution to the band. The song was also the album's very first single. They also released two remastered singles from their 2011 debut studio album The Drug in Me Is You. "The Drug in Me Is Reimagined" was released on February 13, 2020, and "I'm Not a Vampire (Revamped)" was released on February 12, 2021. "Carry On" was also released in 2020, using a similar album cover from their 2017 studio album Coming Home.

In 2022, they released two more singles, "Zombified" and "Voices in My Head", both of which gained a lot of success. Rumors were also spread about the song being an attempt to mock Machine Gun Kelly, however Ronnie Radke declared these rumors false. The band released "Watch the World Burn" on January 31, 2023, and it also became a hit, with it becoming the first time Falling in Reverse entered Billboard Hot 100, landing on No. 83; the song along, with Popular Monster, Zombified and Voices in My Head, managed to beat Bring Me the Horizon for the most No. 1 singles for the past three years. "Zombified", "Voices in My Head" and "Watch the World Burn" would also later appear in the Popular Monster album. Another single that would appear in the album was a reimagined version of Papa Roach's 'Last Resort", which was released on June 26, 2023. The reimagined was a more emotional and a ballad than the more rocky original. Papa Roach vocalist Jacoby Shaddix was "blown away" and very impressed with the cover.

On May 7, 2024, the band released another single titled "Ronald", which featured rapper Tech N9ne and Slaughter to Prevail vocalist, Alex Terrible. Alongside the song, the band announced Popular Monster, which was originally due to be released on July 26, 2024, before being pushed back to August 16, 2024. It is the band's first album since 2017's Coming Home. The band also announced the Popular MonsTOUR II: World Domination, which will take place from August–December 2024, with guests Tech N9ne, Slaughter to Prevail, Hollywood Undead, Dance Gavin Dance and Black Veil Brides. On June 6, 2024, the band released another single for the album, titled "All My Life", which featured country singer Jelly Roll; the single received one million views on YouTube in the first 24 hours of its release. A music video for the track "Prequel" was released on August 16, 2024, coinciding with the album release. The album cover of Popular Monster is frontman Ronnie Radke's mugshot for when he got arrested for alleged domestic assault in 2012.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Blabbermouth	8/10
Sputnikmusic	1.8/5
Still Listening	0/10
Wall of Sound	6.5/10

Popular Monster received mixed reviews from critics. Anne Erickson of Blabbermouth gave it a rating of 8 out of 10 saying: On Popular Monster', Radke and Falling in Reverse show they're trendsetters. This release is like nothing else out there in the metalcore and post-hardcore world. Their experimentation is similar to bands such as Bad Omens and Sleep Token in their unapologetic moves to meld pop and rap with metal. Falling in Reverse truly have a sound that's all their own, and that's a treasure. Paul Brown of Wall of Sound gave it a rating of 6.5 out of 10 saying: "Popular Monster will get you moshing while questioning the world around you. A concept album for the rise of a glorified rolling stone." AllMusic also gave the album a rating of two and a half stars.

However, there were also very bad reviews. Sputnikmusic had mostly bad reviews, for example SaseiTunes review rated the album as: "Popular Monster is an embarrassment of an album that tries to paint its lead singer as this poor crucified soul, and fails miserably at it, while not knowing what sound it wants to pursue, and acting like it’s the hottest *** since sliced bread." Luke Nutail of The Soundboard said: "The best that Falling In Reverse can aspire to on Popular Monster is copying another grifter also better known for an insufferable public persona well above any music." Rachel Aimee of Still Listening Magazine gave it a rating of zero, the lowest of all, saying: "It is baffling and decently depressing that a band like Falling in Reverse still have a platform, and a big one at that."

Track listing

Popular Monster track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Prequel"	Ronnie Radke Tyler Smyth	Radke Max Georgiev Christian Thompson Tyler Burgess Luke Holland Smyth	Radke Smyth Charles Massabo[a]	3:53
2.	"Popular Monster"	Radke Cody Quistad Smyth	Radke Georgiev Derek Jones Burgess Johnny Mele Smyth Quistad	Radke Smyth Massabo[c]	3:41
3.	"All My Life" (featuring Jelly Roll)	Radke Jason DeFord Jeris Johnson Quistad Smyth	Radke Georgiev Thompson Burgess Holland Johnson DeFord Quistad Smyth	Radke Smyth Massabo	3:11
4.	"Ronald" (featuring Tech N9ne and Alex Terrible)	Radke Jason Richardson Aaron Dontez Yates Holland Smyth	Radke Georgiev Thompson Burgess Holland Richardson Yates Alexander Shikolai Smyth	Radke Smyth Massabo	3:17
5.	"Voices in My Head"	Radke Massabo Quistad Smyth	Radke Georgiev Thompson Burgess Holland Quistad Smyth	Radke Smyth Massabo	3:17
6.	"Bad Guy" (featuring Saraya Bevis)	Radke Saraya Bevis Smyth	Radke Georgiev Thompson Burgess Holland Bevis Smyth	Radke Smyth Massabo[a]	2:37
7.	"Watch the World Burn"	Radke Quistad Smyth Thompson Burgess	Radke Georgiev Thompson Burgess Holland Quistad Smyth Massabo	Radke Smyth Massabo	3:24
8.	"Trigger Warning"	Radke Jon Lundin	Radke Georgiev Thompson Burgess Holland Smyth	Radke Smyth Lundin[a]	2:22
9.	"Zombified"	Radke Lundin Quistad	Radke Georgiev Thompson Wes Horton Holland Quistad Smyth	Radke Smyth	3:40
10.	"No Fear"	Radke Smyth	Radke Smyth	Radke Smyth	3:48
11.	"Last Resort (Reimagined)"	Jacoby Shaddix Tobin Esperance David Buckner Jerry Horton	Radke Sean Rooney	Radke Smyth	4:43
Total length:					37:48

Notes

• ^{^[c]} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^[a]} signifies an assistant producer

Personnel

Falling in Reverse

• Ronnie Radke – lead vocals, programming, additional guitar, keyboard
• Derek Jones – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (track 2)
• Christian Thompson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (all tracks except track 2 and 11)
• Max Georgiev – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Tyler Burgess – bass, backing vocals (all tracks except track 9 and 11)
• Wes Horton – bass, backing vocals (track 9)
• Johnny Mele – drums, percussion, backing vocals (track 2)
• Luke Holland – drums, percussion (all tracks except track 2 and 11)

Additional musicians

• Jelly Roll – guest vocals (track 3)
• Tech N9ne – guest vocals (track 4)
• Alex Terrible – guest vocals (track 4)
• Saraya Bevis – guest vocals (track 6)

Additional personnel

• Tyler Smyth – strings, recording, mixing, mastering, programming, engineering
• Charles Massabo – programming, engineering, beats, vocal production, mastering
• Cody Quistad – guitar
• Sean Rooney – arrangement, orchestra, piano (track 11)
• Jason Richardson – guitars
• Joey Doherty – production assistance
• Ted Jensen – mastering
• Brett Gurewitz – art direction

Charts

Chart performance for Popular Monster

Chart (2024)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	7
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)	2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)	55
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)	90
Canadian Albums (Billboard)	43
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	42
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)	28
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	10
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)	37
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)	28
Scottish Albums (OCC)	12
Swedish Hard Rock Albums (Sverigetopplistan)	8
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)	9
UK Albums (OCC)	29
UK Independent Albums (OCC)	5
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)	2
US Billboard 200	12
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)	1
US Independent Albums (Billboard)	1
US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)	5