Five years away from music, the Leto brothers are back. American rock duo Thirty Seconds to Mars have returned with their sixth studio album, ‘It’s The End Of The World, But It’s A Beautiful Day’.
With Oscar-winning Jared lending his acting talents to the big screen, starring alongside Lady Gaga in 2021 Blockbuster House of Gucci, fans of Thirty Seconds To Mars have had to wait for music, with the last offering being 2018’s ‘America’. Yet this record certainly makes up for last time, and is hard evidence of the brothers’ craft. It’s clear nothing was to be rushed on this record, with every note, lyric and melody seemingly curated with the intention of being a masterpiece.
Speaking to NME in 2021, Jared shared that the band had penned 200 songs for the sixth studio LP, drawing inspiration from 70s and 80s electronic music. He also shares that much of the record was written in the Covid lockdowns.
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Opening with recent single ‘Stuck’, a reflective, rhythmic single that sets the foundation for the album, leading with a guitar line driven by electronic thuds and a simple bassline. This track arrives with a music video, directed by Jared, that he calls “a love letter to some of my favourite photographers”.
While tracks like ‘Stuck’, ‘Life Is Beautiful’ and ‘Seasons’ locate the upbeat and heavier nature of Thirty Second to Mars, the general vibe of this record is one that feels gentle and soft. With tracks like ‘Love These Days’ and ‘World On Fire’ sharing a stripped back side to the band, yet still maintaining their title as one of America’s beloved rock bands.
It feels as though experimentation was at the centre of this record, with digital soundbites and electronic instruments at the forefront of many of the tunes, yet still beautifully intertwined with the traditional line up. Penultimate track ‘Lost These Days’ exhibits a stripped back vocal from Jared alongside acoustic guitar, before bleeding into a flurry of electronic creation.
The record closes with ‘Avalanche’, a tune that taps into the band’s core. Lofty drums and melodies meeting Jared’s matchless vocal – it’s the perfect completion to this long-awaited record.
8/10
Words: Isabella Miller
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