Trash Boat’s latest album, Heaven Can Wait, is a searing, unfiltered look into the band's most dynamic, genre-bending work to date. Across eleven tracks, the British quintet delivers a sonic whirlwind that refuses to be boxed into any singular category, a statement to their artistic evolution. Coming off the heels of their 2021 album Don’t You Feel Amazing?, which broadened their sound and expectations, Heaven Can Wait pushes their boundaries even further, cementing Trash Boat as one of the most versatile bands in modern rock.
From the outset, Heaven Can Wait makes it clear that this isn’t an album designed to sit neatly in anyone’s comfort zone. Tracks like the opening duo, “Watching Heaven...” and “...Burn,” blend Deftones-esque atmosphere with a blistering energy that lays the foundation for what’s to come. It’s gritty, it's dense, and yet it never sacrifices melody for rawness. The album's chaotic, genre-fluid nature unfolds further with “filthy/RIGHTEOUS,” featuring a fierce guest spot from Crossfaith’s Kenta Koie, layering industrial beats and nu-metal fury that recall the heyday of Linkin Park’s style. The song’s explosive rhythms and frantic tempo shifts add a thrilling edge, making it one of the standout moments of the album.
Vocally, frontman Tobi Duncan is at his most intense. His raw, impassioned performance feels cathartic, particularly on the gut-wrenching “Are You Ready Now?” which boasts an astonishing twenty-two-second-long scream that punctuates the track’s slow-burn heaviness. Duncan’s delivery throughout the record strikes a balance between vulnerability and rage, embodying the honest, unfiltered vision he had for Heaven Can Wait. Whether it’s the introspective “Better Than Yesterday” or the venomous “Break You,” Duncan’s range of emotion is palpable, and his lyrics continue to be a central force in Trash Boat’s narrative.
Thematically, Heaven Can Wait embraces chaos—both musically and lyrically. Trash Boat’s sound is at its “heaviest, slowest, fastest, most complicated and contradictory,” as Duncan puts it. The album veers from post-hardcore ferocity to moments of melodic introspection with surprising fluidity, like in “The Drip,” where the band blends groovy riffs with an anthemic chorus. On tracks like “Liar Liar” and “Delusions of Grandeur,” Trash Boat delivers intricate instrumentals, propelled by the airtight rhythm section of bassist James Grayson and drummer Oakley Moffatt, while Ryan Hyslop and Dann Bostock’s guitar work weaves between atmospheric and crushingly heavy tones.
“Be Someone,” featuring Eric Vanlerberghe of I Prevail, adds an additional layer of intensity to the album, while “Lazy” serves as a melodic reprieve, its more laid-back feel offering a breather amid the album's frenetic pace. Each track adds to the sprawling, unpredictable landscape of Heaven Can Wait, reinforcing the idea that Trash Boat is not interested in creating a polished, predictable rock and metal album—they are painting, as Duncan describes it, “an honest picture,” direct and raw in its expression.
In terms of production, the fact that Heaven Can Wait was self-produced by the band is an impressive feat. The album retains a cohesive energy while exploring various sonic textures and complexities. There’s a clear emphasis on authenticity, with the unpolished grit of the record amplifying its emotional weight.
Ultimately, Heaven Can Wait feels like Trash Boat’s most fully realized project to date. It’s a fearless exploration of sound and emotion that channels chaos into something powerful and cathartic. With blistering performances, potent collaborations, and a willingness to break their own mould, Trash Boat has crafted an album that demands to be experienced in full. It’s a thrilling ride from start to finish, embracing unpredictability and proving that, for Trash Boat, the sky is the limit.