Out 24 October, 2025
Via Fearless Records
Words by: CECILIA PATTISON-LEVI
Taylor Acorn opens her new album, the 12 song, Poster Child with People Pleaser and it’s an ode to women and the experiences of gaslighting and self-sabotage as she declares: ‘You’re pissing me off but I never say’. But social pressures mean that people don’t ‘like my hair, my clothes‘ as she states ‘I need a change‘. Taylor Acorn admitted in her concerts here in Oz to being a People Pleaser even though she knows it’s wrong as she lists all the problems: ‘I don’t speak my mind/ but you shut me up anyway‘ and I ‘would let you run me over‘ to find peace and acceptance.
Taylor Acorn’s new album continues with her unique approach to the emo-punk genre that was on show in her first album Survival in Motion. So, lyricism, melodies, whipping choruses and narrative examination of the self and relationships are at the heart of her musical style. In Poster Girl she asks to be ‘put out of her misery‘ as she states you should not mix ‘feelings with negligence‘ and that ‘she is poster child for screwing things up‘ and lets us know that ‘you make me this way‘.
The song People Pleaser is about overcoming the negative loathing of others’ opinions and only being around for other’s leisure. The following song Crashing Out with its thick guitar riffs, clashing drums, and her evocative vocals collide to deliver another undeniable pop-punk sing along. With raw, relatable lyrics, Taylor Acorn belts out: ‘can’t slow down, it only makes me want you more’ capturing the chaos of a volatile, touch-and-go romance. Then, Hangman is an album highlight about a failed relationship as she asks for the ex-lover to ‘spell it out for me‘ as she is ‘hanging on by a thread‘ and asks to be ‘put out of her misery‘.
The big guitars and driving drums bring in the title track Poster Girl that highlights Taylor Acorn’s ability to self-sabotage. It’s channelling the raw spirit of late 1990s and early-2000s pop-punk. The song will become a fan favourite as I can hear it being sung live in stadiums. The nostalgic Home Videos is a lovely track about the waiting days and wishing for stardom. But, the ‘best friends down the street‘ and ‘playing T-Ball in the yard‘ are a vision of a past life out of reach. Life ‘don’t slow down for no one‘. Next, Taylor Acorn admonishes an old lover as a user on the mid-tempo Cheap Dopamine. She compares her love to a drug as she is the cheap dopamine hit. It is lyrical wise and full of her mother’s advice as she realised that the love being experienced was faulty but she couldn’t see through the rose coloured haze.
The next three songs take the tempo up with the big guitar riffs and aggressive vocals and lyrics, she admonishes a male who did her wrong ‘you better run mother***ker‘ as he ‘threw down the victim card‘ and has Blood On Your Hands but he is ‘not getting away‘ without her getting even. It is followed by Goodbye, Good Riddance that is the absolute kiss-off song of never looking back. It is unapologetic and empowered vengeful song. Then, Sucker Punch was the cheap shot needed to be suffered ‘to be better off now‘ as the song describes the ending of us as it is a knock right off my feet type of song.
The song Vertigo is a pop-punk love song about the butterflies of falling in love hard. Those spins are surely vertigo not love. Then, Theme Park has a quiet intro with an acoustic guitar and it’s a ballad about life and love being a roller-coaster ride. The quiet verse and loud chorus with that lovely bridge works so well on this song of happiness in love as the ‘heart is a theme park‘ and ‘making her feel like a kid again‘. The album closes out with the big ballad Masquerade. It’s a about ditching the mask and jumping off the stage as she ‘smashes the champagne as I run out the door‘ as this situation ‘isn’t fun anymore‘.
Poster Child is an album rich in the imagery of love and its failure and looking at love as a type of chemical dependency with its highs and lows. Her music is wrapped in pop-punk. The songs on this album deliver a fun cathartic ride and make you think your own life maybe not that bad or complicated.
