The very first words you hear on Be Someone Better are a killer line: “When did pop music get so algorithmic?”
It’s a fair question, and one that feels like the perfect mission statement for Red Arrow Highway’s second album. Because if so much modern music feels designed for playlists and metrics, then this record sounds like the opposite — guitars ringing out, melodies worn proudly on their sleeves, and songs that feel like they were written in real rooms by real people.
Formed in West Michigan by long-time friends Justin Suarez and Nate Johnivan, Red Arrow Highway operate in that rich seam where heartland rock and melodic punk meet. There are echoes of Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty in the storytelling, but they also share DNA with bands like The Gaslight Anthem and The Menzingers — groups who understand that big choruses and big feelings are never a bad idea.
The opening run of songs makes that clear straight away. “Not The End” wastes no time getting going, bursting out with melodic heartland punk that lands somewhere between Gaslight Anthem and Pkewx3. It’s the sort of track that has you singing along to the title phrase almost instantly, and “Realists” arrives right behind it to prove the opener wasn’t a lucky swing.
There’s a looseness and energy to the record that makes it feel like a band rather than a project. “Amphetamines” in particular has a swagger that recalls The Hold Steady, although Johnivan’s voice carries more traditional melody than Craig Finn ever aimed for. The result is something both punchy and heartfelt, the sound of friends making music together because they have to.
That sense of purpose carries into “Parallel,” where the Springsteen love that informs the band’s sound bubbles up through the groove rather than through imitation. When Johnivan sings “If you’re hearing this we fucking made it,” there’s a moment of pure, unfiltered hope that feels entirely genuine.
Across the middle of the album the band lean even harder into that emotional core. “Stop Worrying” and “Sidequest” both carry the unmistakable feeling of friendship at their centre — songs that seem to exist in the space between optimism and quiet sadness. The former has that uniquely American brand of melodic punk where the edges are softened by big hooks, while the latter balances melancholy with the kind of stubborn determination that suggests nothing else matters as long as you’re chasing the next song.
Elsewhere the band show a real knack for writing lines that grab you immediately. “Never Too Much” opens with “Do what you like, I won’t judge ya,” a sentiment that fits perfectly with the record’s open-hearted tone. By now it’s obvious that Red Arrow Highway understand the power of a hook almost as well as they understand how to deliver one.
Late in the record things turn more reflective. “Rose” changes the mood completely, dealing with grief in a way that refuses easy answers. “It’s ok to hate that the world took them away,” Johnivan sings — a devastatingly simple line that lingers long after the song fades.
That emotional weight carries straight into “Better Things,” which asks the album’s central question: “Don’t you want to be someone better?” It’s both a challenge and an encouragement, and it feels like the perfect note to end on.
Red Arrow Highway’s second album may come from a small corner of Michigan, but its themes — friendship, hope, grief, and the stubborn urge to keep moving forward — travel a long way. Packed with melody, sincerity and songs that feel genuinely lived-in, Be Someone Better is proof that heartland rock and punk still have plenty to say.
A wonderful, if unexpected gem.
RATING: 9/10
