Hello Metalheads! This is John back with another early album review! This time I have the brand new album from The Reticent. Their new album simply titled please comes out on November 13, 2025 via Generation Prog Records. This album comes with some serious topics of mental health, so if that is not an area you would like to read about or listen, then please feel free to forgo this review. That being said, I really, really enjoyed this latest work from The Reticent.
The Reticent is highly known for their previous album called The Oubliette(2020) and how emotional it is. The Oubliette follows the progression of an Alzheimer’s patient(Henry) along with the stigma, effects on family and his own personal thoughts and feelings. Please is a continuation of this style of album but with a different set of emotions, but equally deep, informative, enlightening and moving.
The emotions of please are highly discussed around all forms of media this time being Depression, Anxiety and lastly Suicide. This hits home personally in a big way, as with many I have battled depression and anxiety specifically for a long time. The ways in which these are depicted musically and through news/informational and spoken passages is VERY powerful. I found myself connecting to this, sympathizing and understanding the emotions that must have gone into writing such gut wrenching music.
My favorite track on this album is by far the heaviest and technical. Bed of Wasps(Those Consumed with Panic) explores the anxiety and panicking side of the mind. It is frantic, chaotic and downright dissonant through much of the track. The first few main guitar riffs are in a whole tone mode of sorts making show casing the dissonance. Then to cap it all off, the track ends with a panic attack articulated by the music. Lyrically the first part of the track is in second person like the diagnosis is being explained to us. Then shortly after the track is in first person as if someone is describing the panic attack as it is happening. This is so effective as if verifying the thoughts on anxiety.
The Scorn(Those Who Don’t Understand) is the other track I really like on the album. Lyrically this track is exactly as the title implies, the stigma and gossip from people who have never experienced any kind of mental illness and think it’s fake. During the chorus section their are people mocking the main character of this track and echoes after every statement. In fact the track starts off with a Piers Morgan clip of him speaking with someone thinking they can’t be depressed because “they don’t believe in it.”
Being that this is such a serious topic, I have one message. If you are having mental battles and struggles, don’t ever keep it to yourself. Find someone to reach out to, share and get more help if needed. The main number to remember is 988, if you ever feel as though you are in a mental crisis, please use that number for help. The ending of this album is left in a double meaning. On one hand the end of The Chance is this joyful and triumphant ballad that is suddenly cut short as in ending their life. But the other hand is The Discharge, the final track, could also have a meaning of getting discharged from a hospital after an attempt. I choose the later meaning and having hope for those who suffer and are misunderstood by their depression and anxiety.
So overall The Reticent knocked another emotional album out of the park. please is going to be way up my personal album of the year list and gets a very easy 10/10 for my rankings. I really connected with this album emotionally as I discussed, but musically it is absolutely brilliant as well. As always don’t forget to listen to this, stream it and buy it if you love it like I do. Links to socials and streaming will be below as always.
https://www.instagram.com/The.reticent.band
https://www.youtube.com/@TheReticent
https://www.facebook.com/thereticentmusic
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-reticent/261830170
https://open.spotify.com/artist/19O7G4eyQzDWMRjcIQbTJn
https://thereticent.bandcamp.com/
Courtesy of technicalmusicreview.com.