REVIEW | "IDOLS" by YUNGBLUD

If you’ve been on the internet at any point in the last five years, chances are that you’ve seen the name YUNGBLUD pop up at some point. YUNGBLUD (born Dominic Harrison), has made waves in the music industry since the release of his debut album 21st Century Liability in 2018, capturing the hearts of millions around the world and forming a soul connection amongst many people who have felt judged and misunderstood. The combination of his captivating stage energy and gentle demeanour with his fans launched Dominic into stardom very quickly, garnering a massive following by the time his sophomore album weird! was released during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. His music alongside his positive attitude offered many people hope and comfort during one of the most uncertain times in human history, leading him to do video calls with fans and perform virtual concerts online for those of us who were dying to be able to experience the world of live music again. Over the past few years of his career, Dominic has formed tight knit and soulful connections with his community, treating every fan as if they were his own family member and becoming a pillar of love in the music industry. After taking a hiatus from social media at the end of 2024, Dominic came back with a bold, new  nine minute long single titled Hello, Heaven Hello from his latest album, IDOLS. 

This new album, IDOLS, is one of the most raw and mature musical endeavours we have ever seen from Dominic, sparking a new era for the performer. The album deals with themes of love, loss, and every emotion in between. From working through the unknown future of his relationship with the love of his life, Jesse Jo Stark, to discussing themes of mental health issues and dealing with stardom, Dominic has crafted an old school rock-opera album, accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, with plenty of modern twists that is as true to himself and his British punk-rock roots as can be. Each track on the album offers something different for everyone, taking influences from the likes of David Bowie, The Cure, and Billy Idol while still staying unapologetically true to himself. In this article, I’ll be exploring my favourite tracks from the album, diving into my personal interpretations of the lyrics and highlighting the artistic choices that make this project such a standout in his discography.

Hello Heaven, Hello

Hello Heaven, Hello serves as the opening track for the album and was the first single to be released on March 19th, 2025. The track is ambitious, being the first song he released after his lengthy online hiatus, coming back with a bang and igniting the start of a new era of his musical journey. The song itself is a blend of three very distinct parts, with each section representing Dominic’s journey of self discovery and transformation over the last few years of his career. Dominic describes it as a "journey of self-reclamation," bidding farewell to past identities and embracing the future. Musically and lyrically, Hello Heaven, Hello is one of the strongest tracks in his discography to date. It delves heavily into themes of rebellion and struggling with societal expectations while remaining upbeat and hopeful for the future. 

The song’s introduction offers introspective questions as if he is talking directly to the listener, reflecting on his authenticity and connection to his fanbase. The repetition of the word ‘hello’ during the song's beginning feels as if he's calling out to anyone who might be listening, which may reflect his self-isolation yearning to feel fully heard and understood. 

The next segment of the song takes a punk-rock turn, sounding similar to the likes of Black Sabbath and the Sex Pistols. This part is loud and in your face, seeming to showcase Dominic taking his power back and throwing the expectations of society back into their face, refusing to conform to anyone's standards. The lyrics, ‘One step into heaven / But first you’ll go to hell and back’, seem to reflect on the years of criticism and outward opinions towards YUNGBLUD, with everyone having a different idea on what the movement should stand for and some wishing that he didn’t exist at all.

Dominic has stated in interviews that he has struggled with his self image and understanding who he is as a person. That line in particular could show that while he is in a better place with understanding himself (representing ‘one step into heaven’), it took a long time and a lot of inner work and healing for him to finally get to this stage of being comfortable with who he is and make the choice to love the person he is evolving into (representing ‘but first you’ll go to hell and back’). The last segment of the song takes a gentle, acoustic turn, offering bittersweet feelings of nostalgia as well as hope for the future. It feels as if he has finally found the light at the end of the tunnel after years of fighting through the struggles within himself. The human struggle of self image, self love, and identity is ever evolving as we continue to grow and change as people, and while we all have self doubt and struggles with our minds to a certain degree, this song is an empowering anthem that shows anyone listening that life does change, and things do get better. Hello Heaven, Hello is an adventure from start to finish, taking the listener through every emotion under the sun. It serves as one of his most raw and undeniably powerful yet vulnerable  tracks that he has released so far, and a ripper opening track for the full album to follow.

Zombie

Zombie was released as the third single to promote IDOLS, released on May 30th, 2025. During an interview with We Need To Talk, Dominic revealed that the song was inspired by his grandmother's experience with trauma, which led to severe personal deterioration and personality changes, resulting in her unfortunate passing due to struggles with alcohol. Dominic describes the track as "exploring the feeling of deterioration and ugliness; shutting out the world and the people we love out of the fear of becoming a burden or an embarrassment." Zombie is one of the more open and vulnerable tracks that IDOLS has to offer, reflecting on the experience of watching someone you love deteriorate while you feel helpless. He stated that the opening lyrics for the song ‘If I was to talk about the words / They would hurt / So if you were to ask about the pain / I would lie’ were the first words he wrote for the track which he describes as what it felt like to lose her, while also wondering what she would’ve said if she were still here. 

The song itself is an emotional experience, allowing listeners from all walks of life to be able to relate it back to any situation they may be struggling with in their own lives. The accompanying music video only adds to the emotional complexities the song has to offer, with it being a tribute to healthcare workers who see both the best and worst sides of humanity daily. The main protagonist in the video is a nurse played by Florence Pugh, who beautifully represents the overwhelming pain, pressures and sacrifice that healthcare workers go through internally on a daily basis, while continuing to put a smile on their faces and be a sense of hope for their patients. The video portrays her emotional struggles as well as her triumphs and achievements, with the video ending in the nurse receiving a pair of angel wings for her neverending hard work and compassion towards her patients, representing the idea that healthcare workers truly are ‘angels in disguise’. The song alongside the themes of the music video are enough to make anyone tear up even if only slightly, making it one of the most beautiful and moving tracks of his career to date.

War

War starts out with a similar sound and progression to Zombie, almost feeling like a follow up track with its own unique edge. It’s a heart wrenching ballad about Dominic’s struggles with mental health and the destructive effects of idolisation, an inner reckoning with who you’re taught to be versus who you truly are on the inside. The song's opening is immediately ear-catching, reminding me immediately of The Cranberries in the way the sound carries itself as well as the vocals and lyrical style. ‘Everybody loves the way you are / But you don't let them look inside you, do ya?’ showcase Dominic’s inner struggle to reveal his true self, highlighting that the way someone appears on the outside is not always how they feel internally. The lyrics are charged with emotion, hitting the listener like a freight train upon the first listen.  

War feels like it was born in the midst of Dominic’s battle with his self-confidence and mental health, adding to the dynamic feel and sound of the track. The song hits a climax at the tail end, with the lyrics stating ‘I'm falling now / And soon, I'll hit the ground / I'm calling out / I'll always let you down’. These words sound similar to the thoughts and feelings that individuals struggling with depression and self-worth issues may feel, offering insight into the extremely vulnerable inner workings of his mind, as if he is screaming out into the void and no one is there to listen. His openness about his struggles has helped many people around the world confront their own inner feelings and self-destructive patterns, helping them to understand that they are not alone in the way that they feel and that there are people who care deeply about how they feel. 

The song also appears to address Dominic’s struggle with public scrutiny and backlash over the course of his career, the lyrics ‘And did you see the beauty in the fall? / Oh, doеs it make you happy when I break down?’ seem to challenge those who want him to slip up, highlighting how the cruelness towards him online and in person has deepened his emotional wounds and encouraged further social reclusion. War is an emotional ballad that delves deeply into themes of depression, lack of self-worth, and putting a more ‘socially acceptable’ version of yourself on a pedestal for others to see while the real you remains locked away and unseen. Ultimately, War is a standout on Idols, not only for its shift in sound, but for its bravery. It strips back the noise and puts Dominic’s most intimate thoughts on display, with an engaging hook that captures your attention right from the start and lyrics that bare the most inner workings of his heart and mind for the world to see. Throughout its introspective narrative, War becomes more than just a song. It becomes a mirror for anyone who’s ever struggled to love themselves, and a reminder that there’s strength in being seen, and that you are never alone in how you feel, even when everything feels like the end of the world.

Ghosts

Ghosts is the eighth track on the album and serves as one of the longer, more emotionally resonant songs that the album has to offer, clocking in at just over six minutes. Right from the first listen, it’s clear that Ghosts is extremely lyrically and musically profound, starting out with a smooth falsetto that glides effortlessly through the delicate piano we hear in the background. Dominic’s vocals come in with all guns blazing with the opening lines "I see the distant smoke across the waterway / I'd swim a thousand miles just to hear you say / The words that never come when you need them most." These lyrics set the tone for a song that is seeped in complex emotions and unspoken struggles, expressing a deep yearning for closure and to hear certain words that may never come. The following line “Is it your mother’s tongue / Or your father’s ghost?” could be a metaphor for his turbulent upbringing, expressing his difficulty in facing familial struggles while working through emotional baggage and generational pain that may have been passed down unknowingly. The ‘ghost’ in question seems to be a metaphor for the parts of himself that were shaped by trauma and shame from his childhood, being an invisible force that subconsciously drives his everyday life without even realising. 

The song itself also appears to address the greed of the world around us, stalling the future of the upcoming generations with the lines, "Can't bear to watch another generation stall / To the hands of greed that will take it all.".  Dominic critiques a world that seems to continually let down its youth, whether through systemic failures, political apathy, or the constant dictation of how people should identify. However, in typical YUNGBLUD fashion, the next lines, "But you'll rise up again / And you'll fight against the surrender," are an offer of hope and perseverance to those struggling in a world that feels seemingly impossible to get ahead in. 

Musically, the song is stripped back, allowing Dominic’s powerful vocals to take the forefront, leaning into more of a singer-songwriter territory as opposed to the alt-rock chaos he is typically known for. The emotional delivery of the melody woven in with the hopeful despair of the backing track slowly builds up over the course of the song, resulting in a three minute long breakdown filled up by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the drums being replaced by clapping hands, feeling similar to how it might sound in a live setting. Just as it seems the track might fade away, it abruptly shifts. The orchestra cuts out, replaced by distorted guitar and quickly followed up with the intense and chaotic booming of drums. The final act of Ghosts barrels into punk-rock territory, as if the sadness of the first half has erupted into rage and defiance. Then before you’ve had time to process the change, the guitar lets out one last reverberated strum and the song finishes, feeling unresolved yet completely unforgettable. Ghosts a genre-bending journey that weaves through the emotions of grief, identity, and inherited pain. The song may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is undeniably one of the most chaotic and unforgettable songs on this album.

Conclusion

IDOLS is by far the most experimental and brave release of Dominic’s musical career. The album is not just a tracklist, it’s a deeply personal reflection of his emotional and musical journey over the last five years of his life. While Dominic has never been one to shy away from speaking his truth, this album is extremely mature and self-aware and delves even deeper inside the inner workings of his mind, making it his most artistic and creative album to date. Each track on the album offers a range of emotions to the listener, helping them to relate the music back to certain aspects of their own life while remaining completely true to himself. The album is made not only to be listened to, but to be truly felt on a physical and emotional level. It’s clear the album wasn't made for social media virality or stardom, it’s the journey of a young man who wears his heart on his sleeve and shows his emotional scars for the world to see, proudly learning to love himself and coming to terms with who he is as a person, individually of what society expects him to be. It's his bravest piece of work yet, and with part two of the album on the way and a massive world tour in the works, it’s clear that this is still just the beginning of this new era, and I for one am here for it. 

Honourable Mentions:

• Monday Murder

• Fire

• Lovesick Lullaby

• Change

• Idols Pt. II