by Lukas P and Alexis Z
On February 3rd, 2023, Mod Sun released his fifth studio album ‘God Save The Teen’ Initially, feelings on the album were mixed and uncertain, seeing as the title implied that the album would encompass the struggles this generation is constantly faced with and there was the lingering question of whether or not the album would actually address these issues, or if it was just a plea to get more traction for the record. After the first listen, however, it is clear that this album was in fact going to be deep, and address serious problems in today’s society.
photo by Lukas Primus
The record's opener track ‘Eyelids’ is a track that could be perceived as a love song, something written for his now long term partner Avril Lavigne. Mod writes the line “Expiration to my explanations” as a way to note that he doesn’t owe anyone an explanation for anything that he does.
Track two, ‘Revenge’ is a song that addresses a past relationship, or even maybe his relationship with his father. He writes the line “Three cheers for me, I forgot every memory” which addresses the fact that whatever happened to him, he doesn’t remember much of. It was also noted that the song shares similar themes with ‘Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing’ by Set It Off.
An album is never complete without a love song. ‘Avril’s Song’ is just that. It’s written to Avril, but encompasses his abandonment issues in the line “That’s why I get so scared that one day I’ll wake up and she won’t be there” This song shares the idea that Avril saved his life.
Track four, ‘Shelter’ is the first of two features on the record. The song features Mod’s long term partner, Avril Lavigne. Her verse in the song brings Lavigne back to her roots, sounding like something she would have produced for her album ‘Let Go’. All that said, ‘Shelter’ is a song that gives us as listeners an insight into Mod’s mental health, and how even when Mod is at his lowest, Avril is there to take care of him.
Track seven: If every album has to have a designated ‘Cry song’ for God Save The Teen, ‘Single Mothers’ is it. The song features a phone call with Mod Sun’s mom, and based on the name alone we knew it would be a sad song, and we had a lot to say about it. Voicemails and phone calls have become a common element in songs of this style, and it fit into this song perfectly. Mod writes “A broken home is like broken bones” v which leans into how hard it is to grow up in a single parent household.
Track eight: ‘Iris’. It’s not often you see an artist put a cover onto a studio record. However, this cover on this album fits perfectly. Many artists have covered this song in the past, but Mod was the last artist I would have expected to see it from. The way he portrays the song transforms the traditional love song into a more punk. Upbeat number.
Track Eleven: ‘Drive’ One of the most relatable numbers on the record, “Self doubt, self depreciation, the breakdown is so entertaining” feels very similar to the theme of Track 5, very anti new-wave views. This song also really notes that life will pass you by if you don’t pay attention.
‘Delusional Confidence’ is arguably the most important song throughout the whole album. This song addresses the biggest problems in today's society. It goes deep with many different things and would be considered a controversial song because of the discussed topics. ‘The mirror tells me I’m a king but the world tells me I’m a joker” opens up the idea of seeing yourself differently than the world does, positive or negative.