Bring Me the Horizon’s second entry in the Post Human series, NeX GEn, is a vibrant genre-blending emofest. Presented in a stylized hyper-pop wrapping, its emo lyrics, heavy breakdowns and electronic instrumentals pull the band’s broad range of styles into a cohesive sonic feast that will satisfy old and new fans alike.

Lyrically, many of the songs are anthems-in-the-making, meant to be sung aloud at shows and karaoke, or alone with yourself when it gets hard. In “LosT,” Ollie asks himself again and again, “What the hell is fucking wrong with me?” while in “sTraNgerRs” he comments on the growing disconnectivity in modern society: “We’re just a room full of strangers.” One of the hardest-hitting lines in the album opens “Top 10 staTues tHat CriEd bloOd” with: “I guess that some of us / Are just born with tragedy / In our blood.”

From start to finish, we’re treated to a buffet of genres and styles, often blended into each song. Instrumental tracks titled “[ost]” add to the online/virtual reality aesthetic that the band has been culminating since 2019’s “Ludens,” while also giving the album a guiding coherence as we shift between rock, metalcore, hyper-pop, electropop and trap. But even with all of this variety, the self-deprecating “n/A” is able to stand out, a track with a gentler opening that acts as a breather amid the overall madness.

The features are relatively light, but fit well. “AmEN!” blends a verse from Lil Uzi Vert with screams by Glassjaw’s Daryl Palumbo, but it’s Underoath’s feature on the already-infamous “a bulleT w/ my namE On” that is a masterstroke on its own. The song drummed up controversy before the album dropped when the line “If Jesus Christ returns, we’ll just kill that fucker twice” was shared. (Controversial, because it seems like some fans haven’t listened to older tracks like “Crooked Youth.”) But factoring in Underoath’s struggles within the Christian metal scene, the song takes on an anthemic anti-religious vibe that is thoroughly Bring Me the Horizon.

Although some tracks are outshined by others, the love, dedication and talent that went into their making clearly shows through. As the post-genre movement continues to grow, NeX GEn is a showcase of exactly that: the synthesis of multiple genres into a spectacular variety-show for the poly-jamorous, a staple for the next generation of music.

Photo Credit: Spotify