FREE THROW BRING THEIR ROUGH AND RUGGED PUNK ROCK ENERGY INTO FOCUS WITH ‘PIECING IT TOGETHER’

Hello folks, and welcome back to another year of Tyra’s Thoughts on The New Free Throw Album: Does She Love It? Let’s Find Out.

(spoiler alert: yes, I do.)

On the 25^th day of June, in the year 2021, Free Throw bless all the ear holes with the holy sounds of their fourth full-length album, Piecing It Together. In the new album, Free Throw bring out all the stops, with new tricks and some old, to detail their newest introspections as they put in the work for healthy relationships and grow towards honest self-acceptance.

Free Throw – ‘Piecing It Together’ album cover

Lead-off track and first pre-released single, “Cloud Sick” jumps right in as the lyrics traverse the worries and insecurities of maintaining a healthy relationship as an artist struggling with self-improvement. Deep dives into mental health is nothing new to Free Throw’s lyricism, but “Cloud Sick,” “The Grass Isn’t Greener” and “Dormancy” strike into newer territory as our lyricist attempts to navigate within their healthy relationships without feeling like a burden to those they love.

Crashing in after “Cloud Sick” is “Worry Seed,” which-along with the song “Trust Fall” bring some Classic Free Thow™ sounds into the Piecing It Together era. It’s got all the fret noodling your heart could possibly desire as well as the beloved back and forth vocal work, from soft and easy to those beloved Free Throw screams.

(PS: for all you non-PokeNerds, Worry Seed is a Pokemon move that causes the opponent to have insomnia. 👀 )

🙌 The more you know 🙌

Up next is my favorite pre-released single, “Down & Out.” This track contains heart-wrenching hooks and lyrically shows some emotional growth by choosing to accept that it’s okay to take a step back to focus on “self-maintenance,” even if that means that sometimes you’ll just be “down & out” for a little while.

Both “Ocular Pat Down” and “Force of Will” take the cake on guitar work with this effort. Free Throw made sure these deep cuts will keep you coming back for more. Between these two songs is “Second Wind,” a track that is hella summer-y with a light, carefree tone that lyrically grapples with the notion of growing out of one’s youth.

Right off the back of the mellow vibes in “Second Wind” is “Dormancy,” a song driven by a bass line so warm that it feels like being wrapped up in a cozy blanket. The lyrics confess the frustrations of feeling like a burden to loved ones, particularly when your mental state might make it seem impossible to leave the warmth of your bed.

“Ghost in the Routine” pushes a resolute tone that digs into self-reflection and identifying unhealthy coping mechanisms. This song, along with the next track “Equilibrium,” include lyrics like, “I owe it to myself,” and, “I should fight back,” that provide direct, positive results of the internal work our lyricist has been pushing towards throughout the effort. As we round out the final tracks of the album, our lyricist is starting to see the fruits of their emotional labor.

Rounding out Piecing It Together is “Dawn of a New Day,” and let me tell you, this is yet another absolute POWERHOUSE of a closer that even includes lyrical references from the rest of the album popping in here and there. I’m always a fan of these types of closers and I was not disappointed, as Free Throw yet again delivers with this final track. This one will definitely be taking its well-deserved spot on my “getting my shit together” playlist, right next to What’s Past Is Prologue, of course.

Free Throw bring their rough and rugged punk rock energy into focus on emotional growth and personal health as they mature with their sound and their perspectives in Piecing It Together. Make sure to pre-order your PIT merch and livestream tickets here, and don’t forget to give this outstanding record a spin when it drops on June 25^th via Triple Crown Records.