On the sophomore album from pop-rocker Kulick called Everyone I Know Will Die, he expands upon the thematic elements found on his debut and cranks the volume up to ten. As much as I enjoyed Yelling in a Quiet Neighborhood, Kulick really improves upon the best parts of his sound on this current record. The songs are immediately gripping, honest, direct, and driven by a beating heart that just wants his fans to come along for the thrilling ride. Kulick shared this connection he has with his fanbase as he mentioned, “The reason I create music has always been the same; to process, to better understand myself, to feel my emotions in a healthy way, and to connect with others. There is nothing greater.” By staying true to himself and improving his songwriting craft, Everyone I Know Will Die remains steadfast in its dedication to music lovers everywhere.
Opening with the punchy guitars found on “Necessities,” Kulick starts off on the right foot with a pop-punk flavored approach to his sound. The song unfolds nicely with great production elements, and reminded me of a mix between Set It Off paired with the pop polish of The Starting Line. “The People I Know (Don’t Like Me)” follows the peppy opener with a nice combination of upbeat pop-punk with great lyrical lines of growing up feeling misunderstood.
”For Once In My Life” is a mid-tempo near-ballad that focuses on Kulick’s desire to be accepted and find his purpose through his music. The song unfolds well into a crowd-pleasing chorus and balances out the up-tempo tracks found towards the beginning of the album. “ALL I SEE IS RED” is a manic-tinged blast of punk rock energy that explodes into a great pop chorus that demands a crowd sing-a-long and will ultimately be a great live track for years to come in Kulick’s career.
Other songs like the tender acoustic guitar ballad “Don’t Think About Me” hones in on the honesty behind Kulick’s music, and the song reminded me a lot of Mayday Parade’s last two album efforts. The song gradually builds momentum as he passionately sings about a troublesome relationship that may be on its last legs. The album closer of the title track ties everything together on this nicely wound collection of songs packed with plenty of passion and purpose behind each chord. What Kulick does best on this album is to remain authentic to who he is an artist, person, and musician, while still looking towards the future with optimism for better days ahead. While a lot of the material is heavily influenced by tough times, Kulick appears to remain dedicated for figuring this crazy life out.