DS Debut Album Review: Walk Off – “Better Left Behind EP”

GUYS! Walk Off is a killer up and coming melodic punk band from Madison, WI that has definitely found their way onto my daily playlist. They’ve brought back the absolute high energy, fun and feel good melodic/pop-punk sound with the real lyrics of post hardcore in many of the songs featured on their new debut EP, Better Left Behind. The upbeat, melodic sound of the instrumentals paired with the State Champs/Atreyu/A Day To Remember vibes that these guys give off in tandem with their pop punk sound is incredible. Their collaboration of styles amongst a single song almost reminds me of what Sleep Token has done in some of their songs, yet they’ve kept the sound closer to the punk sound. All-in-all, it’s incredibly impressive and has given me a new band to watch VERY closely in the scene, and one I hope starts to rise quickly with their unique talent!!

The first song I’ll touch on is going to be the single they released on Sept 12th, 2025, “Honey Tongued”. Their first single was accompanied by a music video that they also dropped the night prior on September 11th. The video brings in a fresh studio session video of the band of dads just shredding and killing their debut song. You can tell these guys have a lot of inspiration with the way they give it their all in the lyrics and their performance throughout the video. Some of my favorite lyrics that stand out and really just grip my attention to keep me coming back to listen are of course the chorus,”With your honeyed tongue laced with arsenic // Lifetimes of broken promises // You won’t fool me again // Wasted my time, caught in a trance // Seduced by the world’s best hypnotist // I broke loose from your grip (You won’t fool me again!)”. Easily something I know I can relate to in a previous relationship or two, and I can only imagine the number of others who can also relate. I also love the bridge, for its lyrics and for the fact it sounds like ADTR and State Champs had a baby and created this love child of a song and I can’t get enough of it, honestly. “Honey Tongued” will definitely be staying on my daily listens for the foreseeable future.

Next up, we’ll jump into the intro song for the album, “Walk Off”. I love that they used their band name as the intro to their debut album, yet the title track is a different song. That isn’t something you often see, at least not something I personally see very often, feel free to correct me in the comments if it IS common and I’m just ignorant to the fact. This intro gives a classic punk feel to start off the album and leaves you thinking you’re in for a generic punk band that is going to just yell or scream at you about nonsense. Even if that were to be the case, I think they’d still kill it, but realistically, I was pleasantly surprised to find that these guys can blend styles that no one I’ve heard has thought to blend yet. The in-your-face lyrics of their short and sweet intro are a great snippet of what to expect the theme of the rest of the EP to be. With lyrics like “I see your face // Confused, dismayed // Anticipate”, one can only wonder what kind of truths this band is going to be singing about that the masses it reaches will be able to relate to.

Moving into the title track, “Better Left Behind”, all I have to say is woah. The powerhouse lyrics behind this track should be closely listened to. I don’t know very many people in our crowd who would be ignorant enough to think (or try to deny) that they haven’t experienced this after the end of a relationship, especially one that wasn’t anticipated to end. The intro to this gives a small reprive to the classic punk sound and slides you into an almost State Champs-like sound. It transitions into that classic punk guitar riffs and drum beats to follow it seamlessly as you get edgy lyrics like, “The ghost of regret is haunting me // She calls and I answer willingly”, regret is such a powerful yet HARD emotion to navigate. Especially in a relationship sense, seeing as the older I get the more it seems almost everyone has had a similar story to tell. The first verse vibes give me very much early, early A Day To Remember vibes and then they have this beautiful transition into the chorus which throws is back into that melodic punk we know and love from State Champs, the lyrics also hitting hard with, “You had your chance to make your peace with me // Tonight I’m breaking free // Cuz I’ve been trapped for way too long // Weighed down, but I’m holding on”. The relatability of being in a one-sided relationship makes me gravitate towards this track. This track has a sister, acoustic track where I’ll touch on the remaining thoughts of this track, but know this one is easily resting at number one for me, thanks to its sister acoustic version to follow all the punky chaos that is the rest of the EP.

“Better Left Behind” is followed by “Honey Tongued” on the album so we will jump right into the track following, “Buried”. This is a high energy song that also brings that feel of State Champs and ADTR having a love child and producing this banger of a track. The song starts with an almost call and answer or maybe just an accentuated echo. The lyrics reflect the theme of rocky relationships and, again, this one is VERY relatable and adding in the catchy and high energy instrumentals, this is easily a song anyone would have a hard time not nodding their head to and just vibing along to. Their Pre-Chorus’s lyrics are harsh, and very in your face, which I LOVE, “It’s too late // You can’t turn back the hands of the clock // The prize bell tolled // TKO // I left you to rot”. OOF, the slap to the face that is “I left you to rot” is just disgustingly good. The instrumental falls very quickly into chaos as the bridge screams a quick “Shed your skin!” and then breaks down into a heavy instrumental that brings in a VERY early ADTR sound that many might not remember of the group. These guys have got a clever and creative writing style, and honestly I can’t get enough. The fact they’re able to mash these styles, and so seamlessly, is baffling.

Next up is the song “Bottled Up”, and this one’s title alone had me a tad excited to see what the lyrics had in store. I know more than a few people, myself included, can relate to the song title alone and diving into the inner workings of the songs lyrics, they did not disappoint. Coming in with the classic punk intro of the muffled recording and then have the last two words amplified to “normal” volume for the song was a brilliant touch. I haven’t heard an intro like that, personally, in nearly a decade. The instrumentals keep up a high energy feel as the lyrics just bleed emotion. “You project // And then expect everyone to forgive and forget // I don’t accept // There’s too much debt // You’re insecure and I’m done with regret”, that second half of the first verse sets up for the pre-chorus (as it should, right?) which gives that more classic punk “answer” almost to the same style the song takes on at the start and then the chorus comes in, repeating the intro with a more melodic punk feel behind it and ripping the listener apart with, “We go round and round // Pound for pound (I paid you my flesh, I gave you my best) // Light it up // Burn it down // There’s nothing left here for us”. The brief spoken pieces in this song almost remind me of an Atreyu type sound that’s just casually thrown into the mix, yet (again) seamlessly fits into the song. “Bottled Up” is easily one of my favorite tracks on the EP, although it doesn’t take my number one spot, it’s definitely in my top 3.

“Malpractice” wraps up this EP’s songs, not including the acoustic trailing the “calmer-styled” track, and even though the instrumentals don’t make it seem as in-your-face as the previous tracks to start and carry the EP, it still has it’s own… surprises in there that will definitely make the listener raise their brows. I’m not one to ruin a good surprise, so I’ll go ahead and keep that to myself, but your only clue lies in the first line of this paragraph. The lyrics, on the other hand, are just as you’d expect. With a track title like “Malpractice”, one can only assume medical references? Yes? Absolutely, and their cleverness didn’t fail on deliverance, either. Getting hit right out the gate with, “I thought I needed the pressure to keep from bleeding // But your tourniquet made my wounds burst // You took advantage ripping off my bandages // You only make things worse”, is brutal, yet fitting, honestly. I can’t deny the love of the medical references (being an avid Grey’s Anatomy lover), but I also admire that they don’t always stick to an expected “flow”. Where you’d expect the lyrics to match, they don’t. Yet, the lyrics chosen still have the same impact, if not more because it forces the listener to hear the different word than they expected. It’s pretty genius, if you ask me.

These talented dads not only prove they can give us this seamless style changes, but they’ve proved they can expertly flip their songs from originals to acoustics! “Better Left Behind” has an acoustic version tacked onto the end of this album, and guys… I. Am. Obsessed. It’s easily been on repeat for the last few days, and especially as I’ve been writing this. The second half of the chorus hits just as hard as the second, hitting us with, “And every breath I take // Expels you from my mind //No need to suffocate // Some days are better off behind”. It’s hard for one who is so deep in love to have this realization and to accept it. As I keep saying, the relatability of this song is unreal and will probably remain my #1 favorite of their discography, that is, until they knock off my socks with another acoustic!

These dads are giving their kids such a killer example in showing that dreams can still be followed, even if you have other little humans to take care of (cause how else would we be able to create that next generation of bands/artists?!). Better Left Behind EP was available on all streaming platforms as of October 17th, 2025 and I HIGHLY recommend going to give this a listen. This EP threw me back to the original Road to Warped Tour days here in Alaska from a decade ago and I can’t wait to see what else they bring to the industry!