With as many songs as there are in the world, it can be difficult to come up with something new and memorable, let alone a whole album. Yet, Cassadee Pope was able to take common song topics and sing about them in different ways from interesting perspectives on her new album, Hereditary.
Despite only being 34 years old, Pope is a music industry veteran. She was the lead vocalist and face of Hey Monday, a popular 2000’s pop-punk band. After the band went on hiatus, Pope began making country music and competed on (and won) season three of The Voice, under guidance from coach Blake Shelton, before reverting back to pop punk/rock.
Even though Hereditary is a pop-punk album, you can still hear a hint of country in some of the tracks, such as “Capacity” and “Rom Com." It's subtle, but you can draw some comparisons from the way Pope tells stories through the lyrics. However, the album is still very much punk, with its fierce sound and remarkable vocals from Pope, as well as featured artists Daisha McBride and Aaron Gillespie. As Pope describes it, “Hereditary offers a soundtrack to navigate the complexities of life with authenticity and courage. I couldn’t think of a better backdrop for these lyrics than pop/punk…”
The first track off the album is a strong one: “People That I Love Leave." Even though the song was released back in April of last year, it’s one that you don’t get sick of. Anyone who has anxiety or struggles with trusting others will probably be able to relate to the song and the inability to be vulnerable around people closest to you in case they run away. So, by not letting your guard down, you save yourself from future heartbreak.
The next track, “Eye Contact," also deals with trust issues and how lies can damage someone’s perception of things. Pope sings that she can no longer make eye contact and finds it harder to trust people, as an ex turned out to be a huge liar when they said they’d never leave her. She is suspicious of others and keeps her walls up. The chorus of the song is fast, catchy (it’s stuck in my head as I’m writing this), and really emphasizes the hurt that Pope is feeling.
“Secret” is an energetic song about a hidden relationship being revealed, thus making Pope question the whole thing. She sings, “Love in the shadows / It's a losing battle / Someone's always left in the cold,” and also asks, “Did it even matter at all?”
“More To Me” shows Pope moving on from a relationship that she invested a lot in. She’s letting go of the bad habits she adopted while they were together and is becoming herself again. The song starts off slow but picks up at the chorus, where you can really hear the emotion in her voice, especially as she sings, “But there’s more to me than hating you now.”
“Three of Us” is a sad depiction of what happens when drugs become the third person in a relationship. Pope gives the other person an ultimatum: “It’s either you and me, or the drugs.” The lyrics are an inventive way to describe a difficult scenario and just how badly drugs can tear relationships apart.
It can be a hard lesson to learn, but life isn’t always like the movies. But Pope is completely fine with that. “Rom Coms” has her comparing a relationship to those seen in romantic comedies. She realizes that as she gets older, those kinds of relationships are purely fictional, and just like every person, every relationship is unique.
“Almost There” is an unapologetic, carefree song where Pope dispels the stigma around sex with suggestive lyrics and powerful vocals. When the song was initially released last July, Pope told Rock Sound that “I think a lot of us are taught from an early age that indulging our desires is shameful and not ladylike. It was only when I started to shed that shame and embrace my sensual nature that I began feeling like myself.”
“Capacity” is the eighth track on the album and one where the country influence shines through. In the song, Pope just wants her partner to be honest with her and “just give it to me straight, yeah, say it back to me / I don't love you, I don't have the capacity.” She knows how the other person feels about her, but they won’t admit it and keep stringing her along.
“I Died” is another catchy song that features “The Rap Girl,” Daisha McBride, who adds another layer to an already quality pop-punk song. The genre needs more artists like McBride on its tracks, as she seamlessly blends in with Pope’s vocals and sound, mainly in the bridge. The track tells the story of a failed relationship with metaphors about death, comparing it to being ignored by the other person to the point where it’s “like they died.”
The title track of the album, "Hereditary," discusses the concept of being headstrong due to inherited traits. Pope sings about how frustrating it is to repeat the same mistakes and not be able to break the long-standing cycle. In the chorus, she states, “I can’t help it, you can’t help me / It’s hereditary”.
“Ever Since The World Ended” marks the second feature on the album, with vocals from rock singer and drummer, Aaron Gillespie, whose voice complements Pope’s well. The song is a slow ballad in which two people have separated but still deeply miss each other. They’re both trying to learn “a new normal,” even though it feels like their worlds ended when they broke up.
To close out the album, Pope chose the track “Wrong One." It’s a nostalgic-sounding song about a relationship where both parties remember things differently. Pope was all-in on the relationship but was ultimately “left high and dry” while the other person was wearing their “rose-colored” glasses during and after they were dating. At the end of the song, you can hear Pope’s voice faintly echoing before fading to silence, ending the album and leaving the listener with their thoughts.
Cassadee Pope’s fourth solo album is an insightful, beautifully put-together piece of work in all aspects. The day prior to the album’s release, Pope and glitterpunk band The Foxies began the Hereditary Tour on July 11 and were joined by pop/alternative singer-songwriter Natalia Taylar a few days later. Pope is also one of four artists supporting Mariana’s Trench during The Force of Nature tour in September and October and will be performing at the When We Were Young festival on October 19th and on the Emo’s Not Dead Cruise in February as well.
