Pop punk's most lovable liability, Ray Hawthorne, returns today with his brand new record, "Ray Hawthorne Can't Be Trusted", alongside his latest single, "Bummer". A bleak outlook meets a big heart as Ray Hawthorne confronts the fear that loving him means signing up for a lifetime of emotional heavy lifting. Listen to "Ray Hawthorne Can't Be Trusted" in full, HERE.
On "Bummer", Ray Hawthorne is already looking for the dark clouds in a future that hasn't happened yet. Caught between wanting a life with someone and convincing them that they're better off without him, he turns his own pessimism into a painfully self-aware confession. Serving as a love song from someone who's great at keeping their walls up, Ray Hawthorne can't help but worry if they're still waiting on the other side.
Where "Ray Hawthorne Sucks" was earnest and "Ray Hawthorne Isn't Real" was chaotic, "Ray Hawthorne Can't Be Trusted" continues a catalog that treats humor, self-awareness, and self-destruction as adjacent concepts. As a whole, Ray Hawthorne leans into emotional whiplash and damage control on his earlier records, while "Ray Hawthorne Can't Be Trusted" (produced by Pete Zen) is aimed at the part of the cycle where the damage has already become too familiar.
Fans can catch the music video for "Habits (ft. Pouyan Afkary of Scary Kids Scaring Kids)" on the big screen at Halloween Horror Nights: Los Angeles throughout the month of October.
Taking full advantage of the quotation marks that I've allotted him for a quote on the release of "Bummer", Ray Hawthorne shares:
"Potential hot take here. I really don’t like anime. There are a few exceptions to this though. Yu-Gi-Oh, obviously, but I think that’s mostly because I enjoy the card game. Digimon was also my shit when I was a kid. It felt like Pokémon for grown ups through the eyes of a 10 year old. But recently I’ve started watching Death Note again. And for all the flack I give anime, Death Note might be one of my favorite shows of all time. The concept is so fun, and it’s just like a really high stakes cheesy noir thriller. I swear most of the time it’s just internal monologues and exposition. Everything is so smart and so stupid at the same time, it’s like the perfect combination. This is a long winded way of saying that I like things that are both stupid and smart. So as far as my songs go, we’ve got stupid on lock. Stupid all day. But hopefully, every once in a while, they can be a bit clever at times too. At face value, I think “Bummer” comes across as a stupid pop punk hook, but I think there might be slightly more under the surface if you care to look."
Celebrating the release of "Ray Hawthorne Can't Be Trusted" with the modesty of a man who wrote his own warning label, Ray Hawthorne adds:
"There have been far too many debates about what “the best” trilogy is. Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, or Pitch Perfect (which is the correct answer). I’m not here to tell you my third album is anywhere close to being mentioned in that discussion, but I am here to tell you that it IS my third album. So like it or not, this is a trilogy now. A trilogy of bad decisions and trying (but failing) to come out better off for it. I had no idea when I made that first album that anyone would care enough for a third. Hell, I didn’t even know anyone wanted a first album if we’re being real. So this is just cool to me. And as much as I joke around, I never take that for granted. So here’s to hoping this one at least holds up better than Godfather 3."
Renowned for his work in North Kingsley, the acclaimed project alongside Shavo Odadjianof System of a Down, Hawthorne initially captured hearts as the Heartbreak Hero with his inaugural solo release "Heartbreak Feels Good in a Place Like This". Building on his solo work, his debut record "Ray Hawthorne Sucks" further cemented his status as a bold new voice in pop punk, quickly amassing a devoted following and over 20 million streams across all streaming platforms for his magnetic charm and razor-sharp wit.
Blending heartbreak, sarcasm, and just the right amount of emotional stability, Ray Hawthorne leads with a messy kind of hope, turning emotional freefall into something you can scream along to. Where debut album and his firstborn, "Ray Hawthorne Sucks", leaned into an earnest DIY vulnerability, his previous record, "Ray Hawthorne Isn't Real", took a turn and tapped into the restless defiance of a secondborn. The 15 tracks helped embrace the chaos, laugh at the pain, and maybe, just maybe, allow us all to find a little redemption along the way.
Starting from the very real possibility that Ray Hawthorne is just a guy screaming into the ether (and somehow making it sound catchy), his catalog has become a refuge for anyone who's ever felt too loud, too sensitive, or too much. Loud, petty, and deeply cathartic, Ray Hawthorneis proudly one of the most unapologetically honest voices modern pop-punk.
Be sure to stay tuned for more Ray Hawthorne news coming very soon.
