In 2024, there were colossal names amongst the metalcore scene, but there was one name that slithered its way up the charts and into the hearts and ears of fans alike. 156/Silence (156) released their album along with a chilling cover, People Watching. To understand how this is their magnum opus, we must thoroughly sift through the album’s tracklist to acknowledge the mastermind behind 156/Silence.
“Character Development (Cold Start)”: 5
Listeners start with a bang as the song establishes the Hardcore-oriented side of 156 with a lack of hooks. However, the grooves of Ryan Wilkinson and the dissonant heavy chords, reflective of older Deathcore by Jimmy Howell, absolutely engulf listeners in a swampy corrosiveness. All of this, backed by Jack Murray’s raw, at times demonic-sounding screams, creates a unique feeling for listeners and the album as a whole. The song’s lyrics cover the resentment that builds in the narrator, who critiques others who are able to build from negative experiences; they have always felt alienated and cold on their own.
“Target Acquired”: 3
Listeners are slowed down with the next track, which, overall, isn’t horrible. In hindsight, it feels weaker compared to later parts of the record. Overall, it kept with the thematics of the album both instrumentally and lyrically. The track speaks of self-destruction and breaking the cycle of one’s pain.
“Sleep Spikes”: 3
Not by any means am I putting this track so low due to any type of negative connotations of the song. It’s because few interludes truly catch my attention, so it is more of a standard judgment. “Sleep Spikes” reinforces the foundation of the record with a dark and atmospheric undertone, which includes a spoken quote, driving home the existential dread of the album.
“Better Written Villain”: 5
This is the first Metalcore-slanted track on the album that feels satisfying, and it feels as if they took a mainstream approach to this track. Although this song was a single, they needed something a little lighter on the ears. In spite of that, the chorus being paired with Howell’s hypnotic lyrics and guitarwork is engrossing and pulls listeners in. “Better Written Villain” is inspired by George Orwell’s Animal Farm, being a study of destructive relationships, especially within an authoritarian context.
“Product Placement”: 3
This track feels copied and pasted from the other tracks. It also doesn’t have any meaningful hooks that immerse me in comparison to the better songs on the top half of the track list. It’s an idiom for the constant nature of ads with roadblocks blocking one’s personal goals and growth.
“Blood Loss (feat.Carson Pace)”: 4
This is honestly one of the more underrated tracks on this record. For a while, it actually flew under my radar. I liked the more atmospheric approach in combination with the programmed drums. It gives off a hypnotic yet coherent track. Carson Pace’s vocals deliver a flawless depth in said sound of the record. This song also offers up a perfect contextual contrast to its succeeding entry in the tracklist.
“Wants I Need (feat.Craig Owens)”: 4
After listening to “Blood Loss,” I was fairly taken aback by the raw energy on display by Murray. I also like that they bring back Howell’s and Wilkinson’s guitar work from “Character Development.” There is an ascended level of heaviness that shows how they can flip a switch bordering on a Deathcore composition. “Wants In Need” covers the importance and challenges of prioritization, especially within a conflictual context.
“Funeral Arrangements”: 5
The next track up, “Funeral Arrangements,” sets the stage for the bottom half of the tracklist, with a focus more on Hardcore and Industrial elements. Even though their Metcalcore chops are something to be in awe of, the rawness of “Funeral Arrangements” and its preceding tracks. This track specifically feels like a combination of Harm’s Way’s heavier application of atmosphere with the composition of Code Orange. Mike Ernest’s steady bass smacks listeners in the face and has such a forceful prominence in the track. The song examines the subjugation of toxic and abusive relationships, and how spite will always be represented in a person who does another wrong. Taking everything into account, this track captures the sound and image of 156 for me and listeners alike.
“Unreasonable Doubt”: 4
Listeners find the return of the aforementioned approach to songwriting with an emphasis on the chorus. Unlike the previous track, they focus more on the rhythmic sweep. It gives off a false-chorus which satiates my need for some melody or at least breaks from the rapid-fire verses, without sacrificing the heaviness. The track, at times, induces a Nu-Metal approach. But, I’m not sure where or who is inducing that feeling, since it’s a small part in their composition. 156 illustrates the turmoil and the falsifying of the trust the narrator has in themselves, which leads to their harmful nature.
“People Watching”: 4
The self-titled track is a pseudo-interlude possessing a stockier version of their composition. It’s heavily atmospheric and displays the consuming nature of the album and its coinciding album cover. The only drawback is its aforementioned shorter runtime; however, it gets the job done.
“Change Agent (feat.Trae Roberts)”: 5
Look, I know previously I said “Wants I Need’ was the closest thing they’ve done to sounding like a Deathcore band, but I mainly meant compositionally. “Change Agent” is the precipice of that claim; they ARE a Deathcore band. This track is brutal, and it’s by all definitions a heavy track; nevertheless, 156 doesn’t give up their sound for a short two-minute song; they only balance it. I have a hypothesis that Trae Roberts led the direction for this track. Robert’s vocals are reminiscent of Kublai Khan TX’s Matt Honeycutt, combined with older Deathcore lows. As the title suggests, “Change Agent” represents an individual who is the cause or at the head of change. In this song’s context, it carries a negative connotation.
“Intravenous”: 3
Listeners are slowed with a well-needed break from the craziness of the past couple of tracks. “Intravenous” is an interlude that dims down everything into a slightly dissonant instrumental.
“Terms and Conditions”: 4
156 brings back the approach to Metalcore, but it feels a little lighter, which is odd since it was never a single. Even with its placement and its off-sounding nature, I adore this track. It is effective and a perfect closing to the top half of the album. Howell’s vocals soar and rival a lot of their contemporaries in clean vocals. “Terms and Conditions” records the struggle against inner turmoil, negative thoughts, and external pressures, expressed through a combination of fury and vulnerability.
“Healing Process (Leave of Absence)”: 4
What an ending. The finale ties everything up in a slimy bow. The track combines the dissonant feeling of the mid-half of the tracklist, with slower but methodical Hardcore accents. While also continuing with a well-established, even masterful Metalcore sound. There’s a familiarity throughout the track that shows the craftsmanship and understanding of their work. If I had to create a thesis of what People Watching is, it would definitely be “Healing Process (Leave of Absence).”
Overall, this album is a breath of fresh air out of a sub-genre that has a nature of following a trend until it’s well into the ground. Its feeling is best described as claustrophobia in a swamp. Being covered up to one’s nose in the swamp water, ready to be consumed. The essence, sound, and catchiness of People Watching should be studied.
